


Come Home Safe

by Marshmallows



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drabble Collection, Fluff, M/M, PWP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2018-10-06 15:36:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 52,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10337912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marshmallows/pseuds/Marshmallows
Summary: ‘Home is not a place, home is where you are.’ Drabbles of a domestic flavour, about boys growing up together. To be consumed at leisure. May contain erratic updates and retroactively added instalments.(contents)





	1. Hello

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make diabetes: the fic, but now it's diabetes: the collection. Here's a handy dandy [contents](https://feendrache.dreamwidth.org/2823.html) page! Read some, read one, read them all, ~~write more lanvane, feed me~~ – thank you for reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot, meet Vane.

The first time Lancelot met Vane: Vane cried. Vane cried and cried, and Lancelot did not know what to do.

Lancelot frantically turned to his mother for help and she looked at him sympathetically.

(Oh dear…)

(Lan-chan’s the first person to hold him after us, you know!)

(I think he’s panicking…)

Lancelot was only 2 years old, but right now, he was holding onto a hefty baby like his life depended on it. His face flitted between the two big people: one raven haired, the other blonde, until his own face scrunched up and he started crying too. The pair cried simultaneously, and it took the raven haired lady some effort to pluck the blonde child out of his vice grip. 

After some rocking and cooing from their mothers, both managed to calm down. They stared at each other across the chasm, curiosity growing. 

(Look, Lan-chan! This is Vane.) The blonde haired woman used her hand to make the baby wave. The baby giggled. Lancelot vaguely remembered this woman. He had seen her often before, but one day she disappeared and Lancelot soon forgot who she was. Suddenly, today, here she was, with a baby in her arms and she had let Lancelot hold him with a watchful eye. 

(Look after one another from now on, okay?) His mother planted a soft kiss on Lancelot’s forehead. 

“Wan! Wan!” Lancelot shouted at his mother. Immediately, he snapped his gaze onto the baby in his mother’s arms so far away. 

(Vane!) Lancelot’s mother giggled and squeezed his little cheeks.

“Wan!” Lancelot repeated more insistently.

(It’ll take some time… He only just started to say ‘mum’.)

The mothers giggled and began to think of the future.

(Lancelot will become a beautiful boy. I’ll look forward to what he accomplishes.)

(I hope Vane will support Lan-chan too. I want him to be kind and caring and full of laughter.) 

(They’ll be the best of friends.)


	2. Pledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'll protect you!"

“Vane?” Lancelot’s voice was growing in panic. “Where are you?”

Suddenly, a sound. Lancelot whipped his head around immediately and scrambled to the source. Squeezing past branches and bushes, Lancelot finally spotted Vane cowering before a monster. Vane was already small, but he was tiny curled up and shivering inside himself. 

Lancelot reacted instantly. He didn’t care about how the twigs scratched his legs or the fact that he lacked a weapon. He charged down the hillside, stumbled upon his last steps and landed face first in front of Vane, who emitted a sharp gasp and crawled back even further. 

“Lan… chan…?”

Lancelot pushed himself off the ground and took a glance at Vane. His face was stained with tears. 

“Vane!” Lancelot didn’t have the luxury of time however. Immediately, he snatched a twig off the ground and faced his opponent. He had seen lots of adults do this before – take up this battle stance – surely, that was the way to fight. 

The monster growled, having regained its composure after being startled from Lancelot’s sudden arrival. Lancelot stared it down, tried to hide the shivering in his tiny legs.

“I’ll protect you!” Lancelot roared at the top of his voice. Vane held those words in his heart like a mantra for the years to come. 

The monster rushed forward, and Lancelot with no prior training stumbled and screamed. He held out the twig he was holding and the branch snapped in the monster’s jaws and Lancelot was sent scrambling. Panic rose in his throat as he realised the monster was turning towards Vane, and pulling himself to his feet, he ran as fast as his legs could push him to where Vane was cowering. The sound made the monster turn and hesitate for a second, and Lancelot immediately hurled a flurry of leaves into the monster’s eyes. It screamed, recoiled – blinded. 

“Vane, Vane! Can you stand?” Lancelot pulled Vane to his feet and grasped his shoulders tight.

“Lan-chan!” More tears fell as he clutched onto Lancelot’s shirt. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t, it’s okay,” Lancelot rubbed his face and flashed him a smile. Vane was still holding onto him tight, but before Lancelot could react, he felt himself lose his balance, for Vane was dragging him round and Lancelot widened his eyes as he realised Vane was making himself his shield. 

“No!” Lancelot barely had time to think as he pushed both of them to the ground. The monster missed them by seconds, and Lancelot threw his arm over his face as the monster reared back to strike again, but when he lowered his arm after not being hit with searing pain, he was shocked to see the monster frozen in place by ice. 

“Go, go, go, go!” Without another thought, Lancelot scooped up Vane in his arms and ran and ran until he had to collapse. Vane tumbled to the ground with a cry and Lancelot groaned in pain. 

“Lan-chan! Lan-chan!” Vane was shaking him. 

“I’m okay, I’m okay…” Lancelot said in a voice that surely was not okay. “Vane, you’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-No...” and Vane burst into tears. Lancelot dragged his body to sit and hastily wiped Vane’s tears with his thumbs. It was silly of them to wear shorts and t-shirts when exploring the woods, but that was what happened when they were taken by childish whims. Lancelot held Vane against his shirt and he was glad to realise that his sobs were muffled as he cried into him. His shirt would grow wet, but at least he was quieter. Lancelot turned his head as he tried to figure out where they were, silently dreading if they had been followed. Lancelot let out a long breath, and began to soothe Vane’s back. 

He didn’t know where he was. 

“We're okay, Vane. I’m here. I’ll always protect you,” Lancelot said urgently. He held Vane tight as he hiccuped. “I’m sorry for letting you out of my sight.”

“It’s my fault. I’m sorry for getting lost,” Vane said quietly, his voice broken and hoarse. 

“We’ll be fine, we’ll be fine,” Lancelot squeezed Vane tight before he decided to think about standing. “The sun’s setting, so we should get moving.”

Without the push of adrenaline however, his limbs refused to move and Lancelot collapsed to the ground before he was even up. Vane was by his side in seconds, tears already forming in his eyes again. He shook Lancelot’s body in panic, but Lancelot was only able to tap his hand gently. 

“Here, hold my hand,” Lancelot stuck it out and Vane grasped it like a lifeline. “We’ll be okay, we’ll be okay,” Lancelot flashed Vane a grin. “Smile!”

All Vane had to offer was a shaky smile stained by tears. Lancelot pushed himself to sit with his free arm and ruffled Vane’s hair. 

“You look better smiling than crying,” Lancelot said gently. 

“I-I’ll try!” Vane said in a shaky voice.

Lancelot paused to think. His eyes tried to search their surroundings under the dimming light of the setting sun. 

“Vane… Can you find a large branch for me?” Lancelot said softly.

Vane scampered off and dragged back an item of that description. Lancelot ruffled his hair and used it to hoist himself up. He sighed as he leaned against his makeshift walking stick and turned to face Vane. He offered a hand towards him that was immediately taken. 

“Okay…” Lancelot said to himself. “…We’ll get lost if we aren’t careful… Vane, I’m counting on you to make marks of which paths we’ve taken, alright?”

Vane nodded vigorously and that was when Lancelot began to move. He urged his body to advance: for scared, little Vane’s sake. Little by little, they eliminated different paths, Vane striking an ‘x’ against a tree they had wandered past. However the sun refused to stop setting, and Lancelot felt hope trickling out of his hands. 

He squeezed Vane’s hand tight as he pushed himself onward with his branch. Vane squeezed back, looked up at him. 

“Will we be lost forever?” Vane said quietly.

“No… I won’t let you,” Lancelot replied back.

“Lan-chan…”

“I’m here…” Lancelot said quietly, holding Vane’s hand tight.

For Vane’s sake, Lancelot had to move. For Vane’s sake, Lancelot had to protect him. For Vane’s sake… 

Lancelot felt a tug at his hand. 

“Thank you…” Vane said quietly.

“I would be so scared without you here,” Lancelot said. 

“Huh?” Vane was startled. 

Lancelot only smiled down at him. For Vane’s sake, who reminded him he wasn’t alone. 

The sun was down and every tree looked the same. Lancelot was exhausted and full of bruises and cuts that needed tending to, and he was hobbling about like he was ten times his age – but Lancelot refused to give up while the hand in his was still there to comfort him. 

Lancelot passed the fiftieth identical twin tree when he thought he was hallucinating and heard a voice calling his name. He looked up wildly, spotted blobs of light move towards the pair and Lancelot gripped onto Vane’s hand tight. 

“Lancelot!”

That voice was music to Lancelot’s ears. The tone however… 

“I cannot believe you! You dragged Vane into this! You are going to apologise to Vane’s grandmother the instant we get back!” 

A group of about five adults wielding torches were there to greet the lost children. Everyone sighed with relief at the sight of one another and Lancelot felt tears prick at his eyes. Beside Lancelot’s mother was Vane’s, who was in utter distress. She ran forward, tears streaming down her face, and Vane immediately started crying too. They met each other in the middle and collapsed into a tight hug, and Vane’s mother rocked him back and forth. 

Lancelot stared at the ground as his mother advanced upon him. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at her child before her. 

“I thought we raised you better than this. Utter recklessness!”

“No!” 

Lancelot picked his head up at the sound of the tiny voice and before he knew what was happening, Vane had ran into him and they collapsed to the ground in a heap, but Vane was hugging, shielding him tight. 

“It’s my fault! I got lost and Lancelot saved me!” Vane shook his head and Lancelot stared at him in wonder. “You need to shout at me, not Lan-chan!”

Both of them looked up to Lancelot’s mother, who sighed heavily and crossed her arms. She turned to address the rest of the crowd with her. “We need to get back to the village and inform the other search parties. You’re both getting punished.”

Without another word, Lancelot’s mother picked her son off the ground and began to carry him in her arms. Lancelot looked up to the sky and praised the stars he was being let off lightly from his mother’s tirade. He returned his gaze back down to the earth and saw Vane across him in his mother’s arms. They smiled at each other across the chasm.


	3. Nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vane dreams of Lancelot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you emulate a style you like and accidentally write the Kingdom Hearts opening…

Vane remembers the colour of blue. The colour of water, the colour of the sky. But he remembers something else. Something close. Something warm. 

He remembers falling into blue. The depths, the expanse. He’s drowning, dying. 

He remembers Lancelot with a lurch of the heart. He is the ocean, he is the sky. He is everything at once. Vane runs, but he does not move. He calls, only hears an echo. Lancelot turns to look at the sky, and explodes in a flurry of wings. A flock of birds, wings white as snow, fly away and Vane is left behind. He cries, and shouts, but he cannot be heard.

Vane woke up first. Startled and frightened upon the first moments of awakening, Vane shot up and off the table he was drooling upon. There was a weight on his back that suddenly lifted, and Vane turned to inspect the culprit. There was Lancelot, now slumped on the floor. He slowly stirred with a groan. 

In panic, Vane closed his eyes and collapsed back onto the table with an audible ‘thwack’.

“Vane?” Lancelot mumbled, sleep thick in his voice. He rubbed his eyes and peered over, but Vane was hidden away by his arms. Vane could feel Lancelot nudge his arm, but Vane held his breath. Without another word, he felt the weight return to his back, and realised Lancelot had simply assumed his original position. Vane tried his best not to move, but alas he needed oxygen in his lungs. He gasped to breathe and Lancelot was startled. 

“Vane!” Lancelot yelped, his hand on his heart. Vane sheepishly stared at him from the gap between the table and his arms. 

“I’m sorry, Lan-chan…” a muffled mumble that sounded like Vane said. 

Lancelot pouted and crawled over so he was in front of Vane. “I was dreaming…”

Vane slowly lifted his head, his eyes wide. 

“I can’t remember it now though…” Lancelot said quietly. 

“I dreamed too…” Vane said. “Of you.”

Lancelot scrunched up his face and tilted his head. “What did I do?”

Vane searched in his head, but to no avail. There was no vocabulary he was aware of that matched the feeling in his heart. All he could do was shake his head. That line of conversation exhausted, Lancelot rubbed his eyes. 

“You’ll catch a cold… Let’s go sleep somewhere else,” Lancelot said, standing up with that decision already made. 

Vane followed, and he let himself be tucked in by Lancelot, who didn’t waste a second closing his eyes again. He was still in between realms, and so desperately wanted to return, but Vane remained waking, for his eyes were on Lancelot. 

Vane reached out a hand to hold Lancelot’s face. The colour of blue, now hidden, but in reach. Instead, Vane brushed his hand against the colour of black, like the depths of the ocean untouched by sunlight. His hair was growing long and Vane tucked it behind his ear. 

Vane scooted closer, and felt the pressure of drowning: overwhelming, unyielding.


	4. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vane was cute. Vane was cute.

That Halloween, Lancelot found himself blushing. He didn’t know what had occurred, or why his heart was fluttering this way, or why his heart was beating so fast. It was only Vane at the door, dressed up as a werewolf, and shyly, he let out a roar that reminded Lancelot more of a kitten. 

Lancelot decided on the spot that it was weird. He hated it. He didn’t want to be weak. He was Vane’s big brother, and he was meant to be strong. 

Lancelot lifted the pumpkin monster next to him with his lanky teenage arms and began to roar. Vane was startled. He began to run away and Lancelot chased after him. 

Every time he saw Vane that night, Lancelot was reminded of how dumb his heart was being. His heart was doing somersaults and Lancelot feared it was going to explode. Instead, he fought against it. He chased Vane and Vane ran away. His heart would begin to calm. But then Vane would come back. And then he would get chased away again. 

Lancelot panted, clutching onto his pumpkin monster like it warded away evil. What was he doing? Why was he doing this?

Vane was cute.

Lancelot was startled to his core. The thought struck him like lightning and gnawed at his brain like a parasite. 

Vane was cute. 

Vane was cute.

Vane appeared again, and Lancelot roared out his throat and chased him away again.


	5. Sweets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Vane never knew his father. He had his mother, his grandmother, and Lancelot. He couldn’t say he was lonely. Not necessarily. If he needed a father, he thought of Lancelot’s, and if he needed a boy’s opinion, he was always by Lancelot’s side. Their village was simple, but the home he lived in had everything he needed. Vane was showered with love from all sides, and his heart grew and grew. 

“This is so good!” Lancelot was inhaling the cake like he had been starved. That wasn’t exactly true. But in accordance to his parents who wanted only the best of him and beyond, sugar was a foreign concept to Lancelot, so here he was, shovelling it into his face.

“Mum baked it! I can ask for more if you want it?” Vane watched him, memorised. 

“Please do!” Lancelot’s eyes were sparkling. He had crumbs all over his face. 

That very night when Vane returned home, he scampered to his mother’s side and was begging her to make another cake. He wanted to see that face of Lancelot’s again; the way he smiled lifted his heart. 

“Well, Vane, do you want to make it yourself?” His mother said with a bemused smile.

Vane hesitated for a moment, mouth open, before giving her a firm nod. 

“Cooking is not just about the ingredients. Especially if you’re making it for someone else. Remember to put in some of your love!” Vane’s mother was beaming wide.

Vane blinked, utterly confused. “How do… I put in love?”

“Think really hard about the person you want to make it for…” Vane’s mother waved her hands about as if she was performing magic. “…and naturally, you’ll do your very best and they’ll love every bite of something you worked so hard for!”

“Oh…!” Vane was nodding vigorously along to her words.

In a much softer voice: “You love Lan-chan, don’t you?” She smiled gently. 

His reaction was instant. “Yeah!”

Vane’s mother grinned back. “Then, I’ll teach you how to make him happy!”

Vane began baking that day. He learnt the secrets of sugar, the magic of measurements, the rigorous recipes. It was hard work for someone so small, but with his mother and grandmother helping him, Vane poured his heart into his food. Seeing Lancelot smile and perk up every time he caught sight of Vane was more than enough. Lancelot developed a sweet tooth, thought of sweets and thought of Vane. Vane naturally improved and wherever they went in the future, Vane would ease the hunger in Lancelot’s stomach.


	6. Neighbours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On days like this, they'd talk through their windows.

_Tap_. _Tap_. _Tap_. 

Without even looking, Lancelot knew that sound. Scrambling to his window and pulling the latch open, he knew what to find. Vane was there, and upon seeing Lancelot, he opened up too. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane called.

His face was afraid and Lancelot instinctively smiled at him. Their rooms faced one another, not by design, but by choice. Their homes were only divided as they were by physical limitations, but in their hearts and souls, they knew that when they sought the other, they need only look next door. When dusk fell and their age required them home, they’d retreat back to their windows and talk to one another across the gap. 

“I’m here!” Lancelot called back.

The sky above flashed and roared – a reminder – and despite that brief moment of calm that Lancelot instilled in him, Vane shrunk into himself to cower. As his grip tightened, his knuckles grew white, but knowing Lancelot was opposite him, he fought against his instinct to duck down. 

“I’m scared!” Vane said, trembling. 

“I’m here!” Lancelot repeated, louder to defy the sky. 

But in a match of boy versus nature, nature would win, and the sky above drowned out Lancelot’s voice until there was nothing. Still, though Vane’s eyes were afraid, he never tore his eyes off Lancelot. 

In a burst of a decision, Vane announced, “I’m coming over!”

“What-” but Vane had already left his windowsill. 

Lancelot sighed and closed his window, but not before long, there was a knock at the door and Lancelot heard pounding up the stairs. He turned around to see Vane soaked through, and Lancelot’s mother not far behind with a towel. With a sigh just like Lancelot’s, his mother smiled at them both and closed the door tight, a single reminder for them to be more careful during a storm. 

Before Vane had a chance to shake the droplets off his hair, Lancelot had thrown the towel over him and was drying him down. Vane was still smaller than Lancelot at this young age, and he stared in wonder as Lancelot concentrated on not hurting him.

“What if you catch a cold?” Lancelot said quietly, but sternly. In moments like these, he was a mirror of his mother.

“I feel safer with you around,” Vane chimed in. 

Lancelot sighed and pouted, his concern obvious on his face, but still he did not fight back. The sky above thundered again to break their reprieve, and it was then that Lancelot was glad he could hold Vane tight as he shivered. 

As he looked about his room, he wondered for a moment how he could fight the sky, and then in a flash of genius, he began explaining his plan to Vane. 

With a little bit of effort, and thanks to the many heavy books Lancelot had in his room, their pillow fort was complete. The thunder continued in answer to no one, but it didn’t matter to Lancelot and Vane now huddled underneath the comfort of blankets. Swaddled together at Vane’s request, they were warm, they were safe. 

“This is where we left off, right?” Lancelot said gently, moving his bookmark off the page. 

Vane nodded vigorously, and shuffled until he was closer and could read over Lancelot’s shoulder. And so, by torchlight, they began to escape to another world, Lancelot’s voice guiding their path – until the time when they could no longer fight the heaviness of their eyelids and they drifted off into another realm in the comfort of each other’s warmth.


	7. Ticklish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was close, much too close.

“Oi! Vane, no!”

Vane had tackled him after training. Hands outstretched, primed for tickling Lancelot into submission; they huddled together in a heap, Lancelot shuddering and heaving with giggles.

However, when Vane realised where he was – hands all over Lancelot – protests of unfairness all but evaporated into the air. 

Something slowly dawned on him. Lancelot’s laughter was a bubbly chorus that lifted Vane’s heart right into his throat. 

Lancelot was lithe, light, a beauty yet to bloom. Vane, meanwhile, remained in this awkward stage of development, finally caught up in height. 

Lancelot was underneath him, cheeks flushed, eyes bright. Vane found himself staring and Lancelot stilled his laughter as he fell into quiet embarrassment. He pursed his lips, but Vane didn’t move an inch. 

To Vane, Lancelot was beautiful, and he was underneath him. Blue eyes bright, black curls framed round porcelain skin. 

“Vane…” Lancelot said. Vane watched his lips move. 

He was close, much too close. 

“Vane!” 

Finally, he was startled, and Vane jumped straight up. His heart thudded in his ears, and Lancelot picked himself up without another word. The air was thick.

“Let’s go home…” Lancelot said finally, taking charge. 

That day, they didn’t walk home hand in hand, their hearts too heavy with tension.


	8. Rumours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot and Vane come to the capital for knight training. It is a new and strange world, full of strangers who claim to know everything about you.

The first time they were at the capital, Vane and Lancelot were asked a simple question. 

“What are you two?”

At first, Lancelot and Vane froze. They stared at each other, speechless. Neither dared to speak first.

“Friends?” They were offered, and they took the bait like sharks. 

“Yeah, childhood friends!” Vane interjected. That was something they knew for sure. 

“We’ve known each other since we were little,” Lancelot added gently. 

They were asked this question so much that their responses were now fully rehearsed. Lancelot and Vane were childhood friends: no more, no less. They never had to question their relationship back at their village. Everyone and anyone knew who they were exactly. Where Lancelot was, Vane was to be found. They were inseparable then, and they were inseparable now in this new foreign town. 

During their time as new recruits, Lancelot and Vane became an infamous duo for being practically inseparable. Their time would be spent answering “where was Lancelot?” or “where was Vane?”, depending on who was missing. Though they looked nothing alike, Lancelot and Vane once got away with replacing each other in the other’s lessons. Lancelot pursed his lips to stop himself laughing when he was called ‘Vane’, whilst Vane immediately retorted with ‘Lan-chan!’ when he was called ‘Lancelot’. 

Rumours began to spread. They were twins one day, lovers the next. 

It was the lovers rumour that surprised Vane the most when it got around to his ears. His blush obvious on his face, he shook his head frantically. “It’s nothing like that!” He spluttered. 

Lancelot responded with: “Who told you this? Where is the source of this rumour? Tell me the name, rank and dormitory of the man responsible.”

The rumours stopped startling Vane after that. Lancelot became famous for his tactical mind. He was lauded on his discipline, his diligence, his intelligence. Lancelot caught the eye of the Captain, Siegfried. Within months of his recruitment, Lancelot shot to the rank of vice captain in a speed that matched Siegfried’s own promotion. 

The inseparable duo were separated then. Vane would be asked ‘where was Lancelot?’ and Vane would respond with ‘probably with Siegfried’.


	9. Partner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere along the line, there was no other word to describe the other than 'partner'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Lancelot/Event Vane’s cross fate, they talk about sword training in the past together… but why does Vane use a halberd now…?

“How does dual wielding feel for you?” Vane asked during a break in their training. 

They had barely settled in after being recruited into the knights, but training had been long and harsh from the get go. However, Lancelot thrived, finally having a trained instructor after his village mentor had left him; and being together with Lancelot kept Vane going through the painful muscle aches at least. 

Lancelot twirled the hilts around in his hands, feeling the shape of his weapons against his palm, within his fingers, “Feels a lot faster. I’m glad the instructors pick up this kinda thing…” Lancelot answered, before turning to look at Vane, “How about you? Switching from sword to halberd gives a completely different feel, right?”

“Totally!” Vane grinned, before lifting said halberd over his shoulders and casually hooking his hands over its shaft, “Feels so much better than a sword for me…”

“You hated sword training so much as a kid!” Lancelot said, grinning with nostalgia, “I should have realised that it wasn’t the weapon for you.”

“Things we’re learning, huh?” Vane said, shrugging as best as he could with his shoulders full of halberd, “Oh, oh, you’re shorter range than me now. How about we pull off a super duper combo attack?”

“A combo attack?” Lancelot said, turning to him fully now, “What were you thinking of?”

“Like maybe my halberd and your short swords together? What can we do with those?” Vane said, swinging his halberd from the position on his shoulders into his hands. He stumbled forward a bit with the gravity of the action, but righted himself with a grin, almost as if nothing had happened. 

Lancelot paused, his eyes scanning the length of Vane’s weapon, and made a quick snap of his fingers when he stumbled upon an idea, “Think I can get on top of your spear?” 

“I guess if I hold it still…” Vane said, twirling the shaft round in his hands to get the axe head flat.

“Yeah, I’ll get on top of it and then, you launch me as far as you can, and I’ll spin through the air!” Lancelot said, throwing his arms up for emphasis, the swords in his hands reaching to the heavens. 

“Let’s do it!” Vane roared, and immediately the two huddled together in excitement as they hatched out their plan.

It didn’t go smoothly, of course. They were still merely teenagers, and Vane’s arms shook as he tried to maintain the hold of his halberd with the added weight of Lancelot on top. Lancelot did try to hold onto Vane’s shoulders to help with the load, but that meant that he was unable to leap forward immediately, his launch becoming a mere hop back onto the ground. 

They tried, and sighed, and tried some more, until the sun began to set and their shadows were long across the training ground.

“Oh no, no, no…” Lancelot mumbled, before hopping right off again, “There must be some trick to it…”

“We can still-” Vane attempted to say, until he was rudely cut off by the growl of his stomach.

Lancelot burst out a laugh, “It’s supper time! We should get going before we get the leftovers again.”

“Yeah, we’ll try again tomorrow! We’ll keep at it! We’ll get stronger and we’ll have a combo attack for sure!” Vane chirped, face shining with hope.

“We’ll be unbeatable!” Lancelot said, and they came forward to bump their arms together. 

Vane was suddenly very serious, “What if we beat Captain Siegfried?!”

Lancelot immediately paled, “No!” he shouted, shaking his head so that his hair flew everywhere, “No, no, no way! No way we could that!”

“Aw, c’mon, I’m sure someone can beat him!” Vane said, staring right at Lancelot.

“It won’t be me! I could never be that good!” Lancelot stammered, his gaze falling as he messed with a strand of his hair.

“Lan-chan… You’re turning red…” Vane said, lightly bumping into him. 

“I…” Lancelot said, his face turning even redder as he failed to say anything concrete, “Come here, Vane!”

“Run away!” Vane cheered, dropping his weapon as Lancelot began a full fledged chase. 

They chased each other round in circles in the courtyard, tumbling to the ground in a heap of laughter when Lancelot leapt onto him, and so went another night of having to scramble for leftovers.


	10. Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A haunted house, a test of courage: Vane didn't know what he was signing up for when he volunteered himself for Lancelot's pranks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt from curiouscat](https://twitter.com/weisseflugel/status/1037373941046829056), thank you! I finished this before the recent [PASH interview](https://twitter.com/granblue_en/status/1038833003344973824) came out, which expanded on [Vane's](https://gbf.wiki/Vane/Lore#Trick%20or%20Treat) 1st year Halloween lines, but I thought I'd keep this anyway.

“So? Do you regret signing up for this now?” Lancelot asked, grin as wide as his face as they traipsed the gloomy woods together.

“N-Not at all,” Vane said, disguising his obvious stammer by clearing his throat, “I knew you were running this, so I…” Vane trailed off; not wanting to reveal that he was, in fact, substituting for another. He had known Lancelot since they were little, knew every little trick up his sleeve, so surely he would know what tactics he would use on a haunted house test of courage. So, he volunteered himself up for the slaughter. The two of them were still fairly new to the Order, but everyone had already come to fear the terror that was Lancelot.

“Brave, brave…” Lancelot said, nodding as he led the way with the glow of his lamp, “But don’t think just because it’s you, I’ll go easy.”

Vane straightened up immediately, “I… I can take it!”

Lancelot only replied back with a flash of his grin, “Remember all those times when you were little?”

“I’m a lot bigger now, Lan-chan! I can handle this!” Vane said in a shrill voice that hadn’t even broke yet. It didn’t help how he could hear the flustered notes in his own voice. They were no strangers to traversing woods: but the grin stuck on Lancelot’s face since the beginning of this journey made Vane fear the worst.

In an instant, Lancelot spun on his heel, the candle flame flickering with the speed of his pivot. He growled out loud, all claws and bared teeth – and Vane predictably shrieked. It made Lancelot erupt into a hearty bout of laughter, and Vane went red up to his ears.

“Oh, this will be lots of fun!” Lancelot snickered, his free hand on his hip, “I absolutely can’t wait!”

Vane replied with his own growl, one that unfortunately fizzled out into a mewl, “Let me in front, Lan-chan!” 

“Are you sure about that?” Lancelot said, wriggling his fingers, even the ones holding the handle of the lamp, somehow preventing it from falling by the sheer dexterity of his hands, “Besides, you’ll get us lost.”

“Then, at least, we won’t have to go in the house!” Vane declared, letting his whine truly seep out.

“You’re only prolonging the inevitable…” Lancelot said cheerfully, before unleashing a vicious grin, “How about this? You can hold my hand if you want…”

Vane only pouted, his eyes narrowing, “What’s in your hand?”

Lancelot held out his fist, a quiet pause, the two exchanging glances at one another, before Lancelot burst it open with a sharp cry, “Nothing,” Lancelot said, laughing as Vane yelped.

“Lan-chan! I’m going back!” Vane cried, all hope and sense abandoned.

“You can’t!” Lancelot sang, grabbing hold of his wrist before he could even move, “We need to get something from the house, remember?”

“You don’t even remember what it is!” Vane whined, his cheeks puffing out of their own accord. 

“I’ll remember it!” Lancelot said, giving Vane’s cheeks a prompt prod, “For now, let’s keep going! I prepared this house just for you!”

It only took a moment of staring into Lancelot’s face for Vane to groan and catch his hand in his, “Let’s make this quick, Lan-chan!”

There was a pause.

“Your hand’s sweaty,” was all Lancelot eventually replied with.

“No thanks to you!” Vane said, his flustered heart staining his face red, “What are you up to, Lan-chan?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Lancelot chirped back, completely innocently, “I’m just excited to be with you, Vane!”

Vane quite obviously pouted, “When you get to do things like this, you…” He trailed off as he watched Lancelot swing their connected hands to and fro, an innocence making his cheeks glow under the lamp light. 

“Hm? Isn’t it good to let loose sometimes?” Lancelot said, his hand firm in his, his eyes back on the road as he led the way.

“You train even on New Year’s Day…” Vane replied limply. 

Lancelot grinned wide as he turned around to look at him, a wordless answer that segued into mindless chatter for the rest of their journey ahead. Their hands remained together, reminiscent of those simpler times, when they traversed woods just like this, got lost and cried and stayed together; until they were confronted with the ominous presence of a dilapidated house, and they were silenced into awe. 

Vane stared at its looming frame, the words chased out of his mouth with the promise of the terrors that awaited him; and then he turned to Lancelot, who only had an eager grin on his lips.

“Shall we?” Lancelot said, turning to him.

Lancelot charged forward – Vane letting out a feeble moan behind him – and went straight up to the door. He paused for a moment, Vane fidgeting behind him as he waited, but Lancelot only turned round to look at him.

“Can you hold this please?” Lancelot said, holding out the lamp.

“But if I hold it, shouldn’t I be leading then?” Vane squeaked.

“Only for a moment, I don’t have any other hand free,” Lancelot said simply, “I’d let go of your hand if I keep the lamp.”

“Huh? Oh,” Vane said, suddenly acutely aware that they were, indeed, holding hands. He wasn’t sure why his heart started thumping in his ears. They had held hands all the time as children, and it wasn’t like those days were long gone.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Do you want me to let go?” Lancelot said, his face suddenly looming into view as he bent down into Vane’s line of sight.

“I’m fine, Lan-chan! You can let go of me!” Vane exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly.

With barely any fanfare, Lancelot did just that, his hand dropping off instantly, and Vane felt a sudden emptiness where he had once been. There was a pause in which they stared at each other, Vane keeping a brave face as Lancelot peered into his eyes, and then Lancelot straightened up, moving the lamp to his now free hand.

“Okay…” Lancelot whispered, “Follow closely, don’t get yourself lost…”

Puffing himself up, Vane nodded. He had to be brave – he had to. He was a knight now. A knight in training, but a knight nonetheless. 

They ventured inside, the front door creaking open in protest to being disturbed. They had barely made their first few steps, when the dust and the darkness had took hold of his throat, Vane’s hands flitting to his face as he looked this way and that. Before he could even stop himself, he was groping blindly through the empty space between them, and he knocked right into the hand beside him.

“I thought you said I could let go?” Lancelot said, the grin clear in his voice even with his back turned.

“I’m scared,” Vane said feebly.

Lancelot didn’t answer or turn back; a squeeze of his hand as his only reply. They continued onwards together, Vane’s eyes trained on the back of Lancelot’s messy hair as he held his hand in both of his. Every footstep they took echoed through the empty corridors, proclaiming their existence to no one in particular, but Vane still feared the worst – ghosts and ghouls and monsters lurking in every dark corner. He made a quiet whimper when something skittered away under the glare of Lancelot’s lamp, and Lancelot quickly gave him a firm squeeze around his fingers.

“Just a bug, don’t worry,” Lancelot said quietly, and when Vane didn’t relax, he added in the softest whisper, “I’m here.”

They came to another closed door. Vane looked up as Lancelot glanced back, his grip on his hand tightening as Lancelot nodded quietly. Lancelot kept hold of Vane’s hand as he raised his knee and swiftly struck out, kicking the door open without the use of either of his occupied hands.

“You can do that?” Vane chirped as Lancelot landed back down.

“I guess I just did!” Lancelot said, turning to him with a bright grin.

Vane almost lost himself in awe, until Lancelot tugged on his hand to indicate they should keep moving. A quick embarrassed nod later and Vane had scuttled closer to Lancelot’s side, a warmth flooding his cheeks. He concluded it was from the flame of Lancelot’s lamp, his eyes trained on the light that set Lancelot’s face aglow. Determination was etched into every line of his face, and just at this right angle, Vane remembered all of Lancelot’s years.

“Lan-chan…” Vane whispered.

“Yeah?” Lancelot said, his eyes ahead.

“You’re really cool.”

“What?” Lancelot stopped immediately, whipping his head round with a haphazard smirk, “C’mon, Vane. Just a little while ago, you were really suspicious of me!”

“Yeah, but that’s ‘cause you planned the whole thing!” Vane retorted back. 

“And that’s why you should ‘always be on your guard’, Vane!” Lancelot replied automatically, his voice momentarily dipping a few octaves to intimate their team leader. He didn’t even have to go that low, considering Lancelot’s voice had already broke.

“But I trust you, Lan-chan,” Vane said. 

“Vane…” Lancelot said quietly, as he watched the light reflected in Vane’s eyes, “…Let’s hurry this up, alright?”

Vane made a nod and noise of affirmation, but it wasn’t long after they had began walking again when Vane piped up with, “How far do we have to go to find the ‘something’ to bring back?”

“Hmm…”

“Lan-chan!” Vane yelped, alongside an additional shake of their joined hands.

“Just a bit more…” Lancelot said, without turning back.

His words proved true when they entered another closed room, courtesy of another of Lancelot’s well thrown kicks. Vane had earnestly stared at every door they had passed, but Lancelot had continued walking on with a resolute step. It didn’t seem right that their adventure was now ending when it had barely begun; but just ahead of them stood a rather obvious treasure chest, gleaming red and gold, waiting in the back. 

Vane squinted at its shine, and without realising it, he slipped out of Lancelot’s grip – and Lancelot immediately turned round.

“Vane?” Lancelot said from far away, “What are you looking for?”

“Nothing…” Vane mumbled, looking this way and that around the chest, even though he didn’t find anything under the dust caked furniture, “Nothing at all…”

He was so absorbed in his task that he didn’t take notice of the footsteps behind him, the creak of a hinge, and then, the shadow hovering over his crouched form. 

“Something… like this?”

Before Lancelot had even done anything, Vane screamed. Right in front of him was a plump, round jack-o'-lantern, entirely unassuming – if it hadn’t been in Lancelot’s hands, and if Lancelot wasn’t suddenly draped in a white cloth that he didn’t seem to have before. Lancelot stared at him without even a flinch, and slowly held it above his head. 

“Even after all these years, Vane…?” Lancelot said quietly, still expressionless. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane cried, scrambling away backwards and sending dust flying everywhere, “I knew it! I knew it! That’s what we needed to get?!”

“Yeah,” Lancelot said, with a shrug. He lowered it back under his arm, and gave it a hearty pat. Its empty toothy grin was almost mocking him with memories.

“Lan _-chan_!” Vane whined, not caring how pathetic he sounded.

The jack-o'-lantern shot right up into the air and onto Lancelot’s head, “Always be on your guard, Vane!” 

“Lan _-chan_!” Vane screamed as he scuttled to his feet. 

For a moment, the empty room was filled with nothing but Lancelot’s cheery laughter and Vane’s terrified screams, their footsteps growing faster and faster as Lancelot chased Vane round and round in circles – but then, Vane shot right out into the dark, abandoning Lancelot and his lamp behind in the room. 

He didn’t care where he was going, his feet pounding against the floorboards as his heart pounded in his ears. He wasn’t thinking, he just needed to get away – until something jumped right out of the inky black darkness and Vane screamed as he tumbled to the ground. 

“Vane!” Lancelot called immediately. 

“Ow, ow, ow…” Vane groaned, his eyes squeezed shut as he hid his head in his arms. 

He could hear a flurry of footsteps, followed by the shift wind of something breezing past him. There was a thud and a thunk, and Vane quickly lifted his head, to gasp at the sight of Lancelot tearing off the cape at his shoulders, his twin blades drawn. The lamp now lay beside him on the floor, but Lancelot stood, a shield in front of him.

“Lan-chan! Oh no, are you hurt?” Vane said, already feeling the swell of tears within his chest.

“I’m fine,” Lancelot said quickly, a glance behind him and no more, “More importantly, are you alright?”

“I’m a knight now… I should be protecting you!” Vane exclaimed, his hands balling into fists against the floor.

“Yes, but…” Lancelot said, flashing a grin, “As am I, and I can’t let you get hurt, right?”

“Lan-chan…” Vane said, his voice turning into a mumble as his head dipped.

“Guard up!” Lancelot yelled, immediately springing forward. 

Vane scrambled to his feet as he scooped up the lamp, the light swinging and shining against Lancelot’s blades. The monster reared back in terror, and despite its small frame, Lancelot still landed every hit, every slash chaining together into a graceful, beautiful dance. He was dazzling in his execution, Vane feeling the soar of his heart as he continued to watch the rage of a snowstorm. 

Lancelot was just getting back into a sparring stance, when the monster began to finally slink away into the shadows; but Lancelot stayed still, his arms up, his feet ready to leap at a moment’s notice. When they could hear nothing but Lancelot’s breath quietening down, they both let out a long, drawn out sigh.

“I’m truly sorry about that, Vane…” Lancelot said quietly, as he approached, “I thought I had scouted the place out…”

“I think… I think it looked like it was trying to hide…” Vane said, narrowing his eyes in his attempt to see further into the darkness.

“Well, too late to think about that now,” Lancelot said, and immediately he grabbed hold of Vane’s shoulders, “You’re not hurt, right? We should get out of here.”

Vane shook his head, but then as every thought flooded back to him, he jumped, “The pumpkin!” Vane shouted, and he whipped his head about until he saw the lumpy mess on the floor, “Oh no… Weren’t we meant to bring that back?”

“Not exactly…” Lancelot said. 

Vane watched quietly as Lancelot rummaged through the remains, meticulously extracting a small item out of the pulp, to wrap it in the handkerchief he then pulled out of his shorts pockets. He was still rubbing the item clean as he approached Vane, and Vane, feeling like it was important, straightened up, dusty knees and all. They weren’t too far in height now, Vane having quickly caught up to Lancelot, but Lancelot still bent down a little to look him in the eye, as he presented what he had found.

Right in the middle of a formerly white handkerchief was a badge, emblazoned with the emblem of the Order: a pair of black dragons flanking a shield. It glittered gold despite its size, and Vane took a deep breath.

“Keep it safe for me please?” Lancelot said gently.

“I’ll do my best, Lan-chan!” Vane spluttered, suddenly realising he had been holding his breath, and Lancelot giggled as he decorated his lapel.

“I can always count on you, Vane,” Lancelot said, as he beamed.

Vane stared down at his tunic in awe – even if it being under his chin made it hard to see and he had to pull his face to look – but he could still feel it was there. 

“But… Shouldn’t you get this, Lan-chan?” Vane said quietly, “You saved me… again.”

“This was a test of courage and you made it, Vane. I didn’t mean for that monster to be there but,” Lancelot said. He brushed his thumb against Vane’s cheek and it was then that Vane realised it was wet, “This is your proof.”

Vane shook his head so hard that his hair went to and fro, “ _We_ made it, Lan-chan!” Vane exclaimed, and Lancelot only giggled as he took hold of Vane’s free hand.

With his other hand, Lancelot smoothed down his hair and pulled him in close, “As long as we have each other, we’ll always make it.”

Vane only answered back with a tight squeeze, as best as he could with one hand holding the lamp, but the feeling of burying himself in Lancelot’s tunic only made him feel safe. Luckily, their exit was just as uneventful as their entrance, and Lancelot and Vane made their way back to the barracks, with another tale to tell.


	11. Sakura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knew that with one misstep, he would have been dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~I haven’t rolled for SSR Vane because I don’t want to tempt fate and not get him and get really salty~~ NVM I ROLLED OOPS , so instead I’m gonna celebrate his existence with writing!! My take on the sakura theme, combined with an idea I was thinking about, before anyone uploads his fates and I know what’s happened (eternally grateful to whoever does so!!). I’m just so happy he exists and he’s pink and soft and flower themed!! I’ve been up since 7am ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

That day, Lancelot and Vane almost died. 

They were new recruits, ready and willing to try, and yet when they stared down death, they realised just what being alive meant to them. Hearts lurched, gazes turned to one another. But they were still here: alive, breathing, together. Here. 

Vane was there, holding Lancelot’s hand. The battlefield raged, but his forehead was on Lancelot’s and he remained there, needed to know he was still breathing. Screams, shouts, clang against clang. All was nothing in this moment they breathed. An intake of breath produced no sound, but the warmth that came from Lancelot was the only answer Vane needed. 

They were in the infirmary: Lancelot and Vane bandaged and patched. The pain was numbing, but just knowing it existed meant that their blood was still flowing through their veins, and not out on the ground. Still. Every muscle ached. Their bodies felt like lead. But they were here, here, here, still. 

Silence passed as time healed their wounds. 

A simple tug of the hand, to know he was there. 

“Lan-chan.” 

Lancelot didn’t say anything, only nodded. His eyes were on the floor. He knew that with one misstep, he would have been dead. _They_ would have been dead. Gone from this present in a blink of an eye. Mere blood and guts and soulless eyes. 

“Lan-chan-”

“Vane, I-”

They spoke simultaneously, they silenced one another, and thus they sighed. Oxygen filled their lungs, their hearts continued to beat. Every bone ached, but his hand was in his, and he was still there.

They didn’t need words to say: ‘I’m happy you’re here.’


	12. Alcohol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot has low tolerance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to reuse a line/plot line I scrapped during my original draft of ‘Stay by My Side’.

Lancelot and Vane were drinking buddies from the time when they were first of legal age, and perhaps a little here and there before that threshold. Lancelot may have banished his rebellious teenage years to his past, but Vane was still there to remind him from time to time, just to see him erupt into red. It was to no surprise that Vane was now hauling Lancelot’s ass back to their dormitory after Lancelot had had far too many drinks for one with such a low tolerance. Vane was warm too, found everything a little too funny, especially in the way that Lancelot was unable to walk in a straight line. He was vice captain now, but no one would have known it, his arm slung over Vane’s shoulders just so he could get back home. 

Lancelot stopped as they passed the town square fountain, and Vane had to drag him away as he whined. Vane had to laugh. His elder by two years and his hero too, being dragged along like a spoiled child. Lancelot turned on him, his cheeks puffed out. Their builds suggested otherwise, but lithe Lancelot was able to drag large Vane down with him, and their heads collided as Lancelot plopped down next to the fountain. The fountain sprayed them, cooling the air around them, but Vane wasn’t concentrating on that. 

Suddenly, Vane was close, Lancelot was so close and – all it took from Lancelot was a simple nudge forward and their lips were pressed together. 

Before Vane knew what was happening – or perhaps because he had wanted it to happen – Lancelot was kissing Vane, and Vane was frozen. He stunk of alcohol, and now Lancelot was holding Vane, and Vane felt himself pinned between the fountain and his best friend.

Thoughts clashed and ended without conclusion, as Vane’s mind raced, trying to figure out what was happening. He was sure this was Lancelot’s first kiss – he was pretty bad – teeth, tongue, not knowing how to breathe. But how was he to judge? This was Vane’s first kiss too, and he had no idea what to do in this situation. Was he meant to hug him tight? Maybe Lancelot had just fallen. Onto a taller person. Just onto Vane’s face. Perhaps it was the alcohol. 

Suddenly, before Vane had to decide, Lancelot stopped. Lancelot flopped onto his chest and he caught him just in time. But before Vane could even breathe, Lancelot was out of his arms again and beside an alley, retching out his guts. Vane was by his side and back to familiarity, holding back Lancelot’s hair and brushing his back just like old times. Defeated, embarrassed, and a few drinks lighter, Lancelot sighed and let Vane carry him on his back.

The whole dormitory made a scene of the newly appointed vice captain being carried back home, and Vane knew they’d make a fuss tomorrow when they were drained from their hangovers; but for now, Vane merely placed a finger to his lips and smiled at everyone as Lancelot snored on his back. Still, everyone helped sleeping beauty into bed and Vane appreciated all the help for himself too, and before he could even utter a request, there was a glass of water on Lancelot’s bedside table and Vane was being offered bedtime stories. He shooed them away with grins and whispers and the dormitory fell into slumber. 

When Vane awoke, his head felt ten times its actual weight. He groaned, tried to tear apart the fog that was yesterday. He was questioning what was reality, but upon looking at Lancelot’s sleeping face in the bed next to him, decided that he merely had another dream. He’d dream of Lancelot sometimes, more times than he’d like to admit. There was a heavy feeling in Vane’s heart that he refused, was too scared, to acknowledge when it came to Lancelot. His eyes drifted to his lips of their own accord, and Vane had to shake his pained head to dash away the thoughts of what they would feel like against his. Perhaps next time, when he had no liquid courage in hand, and with just a leap of faith, he would know.


	13. Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unresolved sexual tension mixed with alcohol is a recipe for a dangerous cocktail.

Vane had some fuzzy idea of how things had come to this. Of course, ‘fuzzy’ was the key word here.

Staring down Lancelot, his face a brilliant shade of red and centimetres away, Vane was suddenly acutely aware that Lancelot had very long eyelashes framing very beautiful eyes. Lancelot was handsome: from a biased point of view – from an _objective_ point of view. 

_He_ clearly wasn’t embarrassed. In fact, the only thing physically stopping Vane from escaping was the fact that Lancelot had wrapped his arms around his shoulders; but Vane was already held in place, transfixed with Lancelot’s expression. 

If Vane wasn’t aware of the circumstances leading up to this situation, he would have thought they were in a room alone together right now. 

But instead, they were being watched, every other trainee in the dining hall holding their breath, in anticipation as to what Lancelot would do next.

Of course, Vane was the one with the most at stake here. He shouldn’t have lost that bet, but here they were. 

“Lan… chan…” Vane mumbled quietly, his stare finally breaking as his eyes flicked down. 

He had never seen Lancelot like this. 

All Lancelot did was a quiet murmur of acknowledgement from the back of his throat. He was so, so warm (or was it himself – Vane didn’t quite know any more). 

Vane stumbled back a step. Lancelot stepped forward.

“Lan-chan…” Vane whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Vane…” Lancelot whined back, his name coming out in a drawl that ended in a breath upon his lips. He was so, so close – he could hear his breathing, his long hair was tickling him.

“Guys, guys!” A sudden voice, “Percival’s coming!” 

Lancelot’s hair whipped him in the face as he turned to look at the intrusion, and even though his weight was still on him as he leaned lazily against him, Vane didn’t waste any time. There was a scramble in every direction as every trainee began hiding their bottles, so Vane immediately did what was best and scooped Lancelot over his shoulder. 

“Vane! Please, please put me down! I’m going to-” Lancelot didn’t finish that sentence, his hands clasped tight against his mouth. 

“Lan-chan?!” Vane panicked, throwing Lancelot forward and holding him in his arms instead.

“Ugh,” Lancelot sighed, face scrunched up, his fate accepted. 

Vane carried him to the dormitories, and they never spoke of this again for the rest of their platonic relationship. 

Of course, it was one of the first things Vane brought up after they had actually kissed, but like the rest of his unruly trainee days, Lancelot only answered with an ‘ugh’.


	14. Depression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intrusive thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: depression.**

Siegfried was gone. Percival was gone.

Lancelot laid in bed, his eyes closed. He didn’t want to move, he didn’t want to think. His eyes were raw and red from crying. Every night he’d lay awake in bed, replaying that same scene over and over: of Siegfried cradling King Josef’s body in his arms. He saw blood, he saw shadows, he saw lightning streak across the sky. He remembered the dull hum of heavy rain. He remembered the way his entire world shattered. He didn’t know the meaning of anything any more. He never knew when he fell asleep, but even when he awoke, he still felt tired to his soul. 

In Vane came, for the fifth morning in a row. He was carrying a tray with porridge and a glass of water. Surely he’d have to go on a mission soon and then, Vane would leave him too. 

Each morning, he’d tidy his room, without a sound, without a thank you. Once finished with his chores, he’d sit silently by Lancelot’s bedside: waiting, watching. 

It was almost like he wanted to say something, wanted to make sure Lancelot knew he was there. 

Days became nights, nights became days. Lancelot wasn’t sure what day it was any more. The only sense time had passed for him was when Vane came in for his daily visit. He’d sit there every day, then go out for missions, then come back every night before returning to his own quarters. 

Lancelot thought he heard Vane crying one morning. Lancelot’s back was turned, and when he moved to inspect, Vane himself had his back to him. Lancelot made to reach out his hand, but his energy was non existent. His arm retreated and he stared at Vane’s back. Lancelot began to cry. Every tear rolled past one another, running and racing until his pillow grew damp. 

Another morning, Vane collapsed on top of the lump that was Lancelot and hugged him tight. Lancelot began to cry. Vane began to cry. They cried without a word, until Vane had to leave again. He returned that evening and Lancelot had asked him to stay. It was the first word he had said in weeks, and Vane complied. They slept together that night, as they did when they were children, side by side and holding one another close. 

The morning after, Vane dragged open the curtains. He was sunshine incarnate, and Lancelot smiled for the first time in weeks.


	15. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Captain sees off his soldier.

At the port, before the airship, Vane turned to face Lancelot.

“This is where I head off, Lan-chan!” Vane flashed him a wide grin.

Lancelot stared back, solemn. “Vane, I’m sorry I cannot stay for very long…”

“It’s okay, Lan-chan. You see me off every mission even if I’m some random bum,” Vane smiled. 

“You’re not a random bum, Vane,” Lancelot said, frowning. “You know I trust you for this mission, correct?”

“Yeah, leave it to me!” Vane slapped his hand onto his chest. 

Lancelot gave him a weak smile and made to leave, before he immediately turned back. “Ask someone for directions. Don’t wander off the main road,” Lancelot took a deep breath and continued. “Don’t break up every fight you see. Don’t trust every stranger. Tell me if anything happens to you and I’ll come with reinforcements.”

Vane listened as Lancelot rambled, even though he had heard this thousands of times before. “I’ll be alright, I promise.” 

Vane held out his little finger and grinned. Gauntlets met, and Vane and Lancelot hooked their pinkies together. 

“I trust you to keep your promises,” Lancelot smiled.

“Of course! Now, Lan-chan,” Vane placed his hands on his hips. “Don’t set fire to the kitchen again. Don’t mix whites with darks. Macarons in moderation. Don’t just eat in front of a book, you’ll get crumbs all over it!”

Lancelot nodded, though he’d soon forget when he was too focused on something. They both paused, leaving things unsaid. 

“Until we meet again, Vane.”

“I’ll be back.”

Lancelot didn’t stop watching until he could no longer see that blonde head of hair. There he stood, saying one final prayer: “Come home safe, Vane.”


	16. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quill pen Vane gave him only reminds him of his face when he's away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Dragon Knights VR event for Granblue Fes 2017, Lancelot’s VR scene revealed that he has a quill, given to him by Vane as a congratulatory gift for becoming captain, and you know I had to write something.

_Hey Lan-chan!_

_I made it! The people here are really friendly and being by the sea means there’s lots of fresh seafood. It’s always so sunny and nice, the weather’s so different here compared to Feendrache. I’m happy this is where I’ll be staying a while. Still miss Feendrache though :( Thank you for the scarf, it’s a bit warm here but the nights get chilly so I wear it then._

_Hope you’re doing well,  
Vane_

As Lancelot set down his letter, he realised he had been smiling, even as his heart ached. He could see Vane familiarising himself with the town, taking strolls down the market, waving to children as he passed them. To think that such a shy boy had become such a warm man. 

Yet-

Lancelot flicked his eyes up from the letter he had placed upon his desk, and already felt his heart sink as the quill pen came into view. It was from the store that he and Vane had chanced upon once. They had been strolling round town, and though Lancelot had become enamoured with the pen on display, Feendrache was still recovering from the shock of Siegfried’s betrayal. It had hardly been a time to be frivolous with their money, and so Lancelot had tore his eyes away from the window. Vane must have come back another day and bought it in secret; for the day Lancelot was inaugurated as Captain, Vane had presented it to him as a gift. It had lasted so long now, all due to Lancelot taking the utmost care of it: blotting off every trace of ink after use, taking the time to sharpen the nib after inspecting his weapon collection. 

It calmed him, in a way, knowing that something from Vane was so near to him, when he himself was so far away. 

Every time he’d write or even glance at the quill on his desk, he would remember the smile that Vane had on his face when he had congratulated him on his position. 

Catching himself lost in nostalgia, Lancelot sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Perhaps he should move the quill elsewhere – but then, he couldn’t ever imagine hiding it away, not when it was this dear to him. 

Picking it up and holding it to the sunlight beaming through the windows, he could see every intricate barb that made up the vane of the feather. He knew it was the most expensive pen there was in that shop, even if Vane had swore he would never tell, even if Lancelot knew his salary was much less than his. The sunlight peeping through almost made it translucent, ethereal in nature. 

He rolled it round in his hand, and stared at the blank parchment sheet in front of him. 

_Dearest Vane_

Lancelot stared at the words he had just wrote over and over to make sure they were real. His finger ghosted over ‘est’ and when he pulled back, it became a smudge on the parchment, his fingertip now black. He pressed his lips together. 

_Dear ~~est~~ Vane_

Lancelot groaned. There was no way he could send this to Vane. 

Placing it aside to be used as scrap, Lancelot began anew.

_Dear Vane,_

_I’m relieved to hear you’re well._

His pen trickled to a stop. There were so many words in his head that he could not even begin to pick any one out of the jumble they had become. So many feelings he could not convey in a singular sheet; not when letters took this long to send. A mere letter shouldn’t bring him this much trouble, but it was the fact that it was a letter to this someone in particular that made it so troublesome in the first place.

Lancelot stared at the quill pen loose in his hand.

Sighing, he began to write. When his thoughts were in such turmoil, Lancelot could never sit still without ruminating first. 

_I miss you. I miss you so much that it hurts._

_I do not quite understand why, but lately, I have found my thoughts lingering on you. I wish to talk like we used to be able to, I wish to be able to spend time with you. To laugh like we used to, to live like we used to. To think we joined the knights together, but as the years grow long, this is the longest I have spent away from you. I remember our pledge to Feendrache, but alas, I cannot cut out this selfish tumour within me._

_I fear the gap between us has grown even stronger than when I was merely Vice Captain. I fear the day when we truly separate; our friendship lost to distance and time._

_I cannot see your smile, I cannot hear your voice. I wish you were back in Feendrache._

_It is a deep, selfish wish. Perhaps my heart has grown weak. My mind lingers on Siegfried’s sudden disappearance, how it reminds me how easily one can disappear from your life without warning, and I know you are more than capable of looking after yourself, but sometimes my mind has to linger on ‘what if’? ‘What if’? I don’t want to lose you like I have many others. You: who has always been by my side, longer than any other._

_The more I dwell on this aspect of why exactly I miss you… The more it worries me. It reminds me of the time when Siegfried first left, when my heart only ached and wished for him to come back. You have always been with me, there for me, and when you are gone, know that I feel like a part of me is missing._

_Please try for Vice Captain when you come back. Perhaps then you can stay by my side.  
_

As his pen stilled to a stop, Lancelot let the breath he had been holding out. He felt his head lighten of its load, and after pushing the letter aside, collapsed onto his arms on his table. 

It was all melodramatic tripe. But at least, it was out of his head now. 

He knew the word for the feeling in his heart: why it ached, why it missed someone so. 

In a fit of a decision, Lancelot snatched his letter, filled with his feelings, and scrunched it up tight, as small as he could make it. The ink had barely dried, but it didn’t matter. Lancelot aimed at the waste bin by the door. He obviously missed, sat so far away, but it didn’t matter. He’d discard it properly another time, but for now, Lancelot moved onto other things, to keep his mind busy, to keep his thoughts out and sealed on that parchment.


	17. Tandem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“Alright, let’s do it!”

For a moment, Lancelot thought he was riding it correctly, but before he could celebrate being on top, he fell off.

Lancelot sighed heavily. “It seems I was too nervous.”

“Lan-chan, don’t push yourself…” Vane said gently.

“No, more. We can do it. We’ve done harder things than this,” Lancelot wiped the sweat off his brow with his arm. 

“Lan-chan, we’ve been at it for hours… We should stop if it hurts, okay?” Vane was concerned. 

Lancelot only nodded his head and climbed onboard for the umpteenth time.

“It’s… really hard…” Lancelot said quietly.

Vane grunted with the effort of it all. “Lan-chan…”

“Hold it steady, Vane…” 

Vane sighed out loud, expelling all the air out of his lungs. “Lan-chan, please…”

But Lancelot was shining with excitement. “That’s the spot!” 

An exhausted moan came out through Vane’s lips. Lancelot’s weight was growing heavier on him as the day marched on. 

“Right here!” 

Vane grunted. “Alright, Lan-chan, I’m gonna do it!” 

“With all your might!”

They continued into the night, perfecting their technique. Sweaty and exhausted, Lancelot was on all fours as he panted heavily. With a final sigh, he grinned back at Vane. 

“Once more?” 

“Let's go!” 

Lancelot hopped softly onto Vane’s spear.


	18. Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the revelation, Lancelot and Vane get used to being together again.

“I’m really glad we’re on the Grancypher together, Lan-chan…” Vane said, hugging his pillow tight as he sat on Lancelot’s bed. They had been given separate rooms, but that didn’t stop Vane from coming round every night before they went to sleep, just like they did when they were kids. 

“Same here…” Lancelot said, propped up on his own pillow, stomach flat on the bed, kicking his legs about in the air, “How long has it been since we last travelled together?”

“Way too long! I always got sent away… Like you’d meet me at the port, and we’d keep in touch and everything, but it’s never quite the same, y’know?” Vane said, wistfully looking up at the ceiling. 

“I suppose your squad leader had always thought you were best suited for it…” Lancelot mused, his gaze aimlessly on the bed, “Even though I always did find it strange considering your sense of direction…”

“Hey, hey, it’s not that bad, is it?” Vane said, immediately falling backwards onto the bed and turning to him with a grin.

“The first thing you did with the Captain was get them lost…” Lancelot said, a wry smile on his face as he propped up his chin.

“We got there in the end though, right?” Vane said, sticking out his tongue briefly.

“Just going the scenic route, right?” Lancelot said, grinning back.

“Exactly! Feendrache’s super pretty, y’know?” Vane said, before the smile dropped off his face, “We gotta work hard to get the river back into shape…”

Lancelot found himself staring at him, “Yeah…” He said at last, a brief pause before he continued, “Vane…”

“Hm?”

“…Do you think I… Do you think I still deserve to be Captain?” Lancelot asked quietly, his gaze fixed to the space on the bed between them.

“Lan-chan…?” Vane said quietly, turning over onto his side to stare at him over his pillow.

“Siegfried-san didn’t take back his position; but for five years, he fought in the shadows for Feendrache, while I truly did nothing but laud about in my office,” Lancelot said, his hand on the bed turning into a fist, his nails digging into his palm.

“Lan-chan…” Vane said softly, “No one knew anything about Isabella… It’s not your fault.”

“But I-” Lancelot began to say, only to stop mid-sentence when there was suddenly a pillow against his head. 

“Lan-chan’s smart and cool and kind, but you’re not psychic,” Vane said, lowering his pillow so Lancelot could look at him, “Siegfried-san only knew what was happening because he was the one who found out, and then you saw what Isabella did to him. You love Feendrache, right?”

“To my dying breath,” Lancelot said, fully aware his words were true. 

“Then, we have that settled,” Vane said, “We’re here on the Grancypher to learn, right? We’ll go back smarter, and we’ll whip Feendrache back into shape like nothing had happened! I don’t know anyone more dedicated than you. Know that I’ll always believe in you.”

“Vane…” Lancelot said, a sigh as his cheeks flushed, “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Vane grinned wide, beaming with pride, “I’m glad I could help.”

“Vane…” Lancelot said after a pause, tracing his finger idly in the space between them, “I… I don’t wish for my bias to interfere with my work… But… You’re prepared for the Vice Captain exams when we head back, right?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” Vane said, giving his pillow a squeeze in his arms.

“It’s…” Lancelot began, before quickly stopping himself, “No… I think you’ll be fine.”

“If the Captain of the Order believes in me, I know I can do it!” Vane said cheerfully, “I’ll protect you and Feendrache, watch me!”

“Vane…” Lancelot said quietly, before he was back to kicking his legs about, “We should sleep… The Captain said they wanted us with them to scout out this new area…” 

“Yeah!” Vane chirped, swinging his legs down to sit back up, “Good night, Lan-chan.”

“Good night, Vane,” Lancelot called, as he crawled under the covers once Vane was off his bed, “Turn the light off for me please?”

Vane turned to him as his finger hovered over the switch, “Meet in the dining hall tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah…” Lancelot said. For a moment, he stopped as if that was the end of it, but then he whispered, “Thank you… Vane.”

The room plunged into darkness before Lancelot could glimpse his face. He took that cue to close his eyes, just catching the soothing sound of his quiet whisper in time, before the door had closed behind him.

“Anything for you.”


	19. Liege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vane seems to want to call Lancelot anything other than his actual name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favourite things about LanVane is the fact that they’re equals despite their actual positions. For some reason, the EN translation gets Vane to call him ‘my liege’, so I’ll play with it?

“Vane… Why do you call me that?” Lancelot asked during a break in their duties. 

Vane was Vice Captain now, a position a lot higher than what he previously used to be, with a lot more responsibilities and a lot less time. They were still getting used to their new roles in accordance with each other, so they always savoured whatever little pockets of time they had together. 

“Hm? ‘Lan-chan’?” Vane mumbled, mid-chew through a bite of his apple.

“No… I can’t stop that one… but ‘my liege’…” Lancelot trailed off, pursing his lips as he curled a strand of hair round his finger, “It’s…”

“What’s wrong? You’re my Captain, no?” Vane said simply.

“Well, yes… but… to hear you call me so familiarly and then switch to ‘my liege’…” Lancelot paused as he sighed, his gaze averting. 

“But that’s just how we are, Lan-chan? I’ve known you all my life, and I’ve always looked up to you,” Vane said, without the slightest hesitation.

Lancelot didn’t answer, turning away as soon as he felt warmth creep into his cheeks. There was a light thud against the floor, which Lancelot could only assume was the apple, formerly in Vane’s hand, making its escape.

“L-Lan-chan?” Vane spluttered.

Lancelot hesitated before looking up, but immediately whipped back round again when he noticed Vane’s eyes widening.

“Wait, wait, wait! Which one’s more embarrassing?” Vane said, leaping to his feet as he slammed upon his desk.

“Why do you want to know?” Lancelot said, the strand of hair around his finger becoming a ringlet of its own at this rate.

“C’mon, tell me!” Vane whined, without making any amount of effort to hide it. 

“I’m not saying anything!” Lancelot said, promptly folding his arms like that would stop him.

“Lan-chan, my liege!” Vane called.

“That doesn’t work!” Lancelot said firmly, a shake of his head sending his hair about. 

“Lancelot, my liege!”

Lancelot immediately clammed up. He could feel the blaze upon his cheeks, and he turned sharply away to face the wall. It didn’t help that it seemed his embarrassment had stolen his ability to speak, and he spent several moments merely opening and closing his mouth, desperately trying to grasp words out of thin air.

“You can call me ‘my liege’ in public, but not ‘Lan-chan’, alright?” Lancelot said at last, towards the wall.

“Is that your answer?”

“I’m not…!” Lancelot began to say, whipping round for a rebuttal – but immediately he felt regret seep into his bones.

Vane was staring straight at him. Not a single speck of his usual cheer was on his face, his green eyes filled with a fierce determination he had only seen in battle before. For once in his life, he looked something akin to serious.

Lancelot regretted noticing that it seemed to have made the blush upon his cheeks worse.

“I’m heading out for some air,” Lancelot said, and he felt Vane’s eyes on him all the way out of the room.

As soon as he had closed the door to his own office, Lancelot sunk to his knees, covering his accursed blush within his hands. He could feel the warmth of his cheeks as he furiously tried to rub it away, as if that would do anything to soothe the rapid beating of his heart. 

They were adults now, with responsibilities and positions of power, not children on the playground with simple crushes, and yet Vane just did what he always does.

“But that’s why I…” Lancelot clenched his fist, stopping his own tongue, even though he was without audience.


	20. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot struggles to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: implied PTSD.**

It was during a strategy meeting that Vane noticed the bags under Lancelot’s eyes and the sluggish way his body moved. Twenty odd years of observing and watching meant that it was hard for Lancelot to hide anything from Vane, and Vane piped up just before everyone else filed in. 

“Don’t worry about it, Vane,” Lancelot smiled gently, but that gentleness was more exhaustion than tenderness. Vane stared, tongue-tied on how to proceed. 

As the meeting ended and everyone started to file out slowly, Vane remained in his seat. 

“Hey guys, hurry on out of here! The sun’s so nice today!” Vane flashed a smile, and the dawdling soldiers saluted before heading on out. As soon as the door closed with a snap behind them, Vane turned to Lancelot, who had kept his head down throughout that exchange. “Lan-chan, please tell me what’s wrong.”

Lancelot didn’t answer immediately. When Vane placed his hand over his, he breathed out all the air in his lungs, “I should have known, right?” His lips jerked upwards as he closed his eyes, and his body was thankful for that temporary relief. “You’ve always been by my side…”

“Lan-chan…” Vane said softly.

“I dream of her,” Lancelot continued. “I dream of her every night when I close my eyes and I imagine myself back in that cold, dark dungeon. I was so glad to see your face that day…”

Vane only squeezed his hand tighter, his lips pursing into a tight line. 

“But we don’t know where she is. Where she and Gareth escaped to. It’s silly, I know, but when I was on the Grancypher with all the crew around me, I felt safe. But since coming back to Feendrache, I…” Lancelot paused to take in a deep breath, “…fail to sleep peacefully. My nights are plagued with nightmares, and I’m always back in that dungeon.”

“Lan-chan, it’s not silly,” Vane said. Lancelot raised his head and opened his eyes slowly, temporarily blinded by light. “I’m here, y’know? You shouldn’t be suffering like this on your own, because I’m always here for you. We’ll get you some help, but for now, do you need help sleeping?”

Lancelot breathed out and turned his eyes away from Vane, but finally he nodded. 

That night, Vane had showered Lancelot with everything he could think of to aid sleep: lavender on his pillow, camomile tea by his bedside; but just as Vane made to leave, Lancelot held him back. He was staring everywhere but him, but his lips moved and it was a request simply for him to stay. Vane softened and smiled, and immediately nodded. 

Quietly, they shuffled into bed together and Vane giggled at how it felt like back when they were kids. Lancelot nodded, meek. Vane was the one who fell asleep first, not knowing that Lancelot would keep watching him until his eyes could no longer stay open. Even then, he was still not satisfied, and he held tightly onto Vane’s hand as he slipped into unconsciousness.


	21. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot takes care of Vane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t playing the game at the time of this event, but this was inspired by [The Freeze](https://youtu.be/6FT0Th8on_c?t=3m15s). Haven’t seen it translated yet so here’s a guess. Everything else is already headcanon lol

“I’m sorry for being such a burden, Lan-chan…” 

“Nonsense, you’ve always helped me. This is nothing,” Lancelot said. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more.”

“I’m sorry for making you feel bad, Lan-chan… I’m sorry for being sick…”

Lancelot paused. “I’m sorry I’m making you feel bad.” 

Vane managed a weak laugh and poked out a hand from under the covers. He inched towards Lancelot, who caught it tight and held it to his chest. 

Feverish, Vane fell into sleep. Lancelot watched his chest rise and fall, before his gaze drifted onto his pained face. After gently mopping away his sweat, Lancelot quietly bowed his head and touched Vane’s forehead with his. He stayed there for a while, listening to Vane breathe. Vane’s breathing was ragged, his forehead clammy, and Lancelot felt his heart sink, knowing he was powerless.

Without another word, Lancelot climbed into bed beside Vane. Automatically, Vane turned over, buried his face into Lancelot’s chest and Lancelot breathed in quietly as he touched Vane’s forehead with his hand. Quietly, he willed ice to his fingers and Vane visibly relaxed, and yet he still held onto Lancelot’s shirt. 

Lancelot opened his mouth but not a sound came out. Quietly, he accepted it, let himself be engulfed by silence. If Lancelot could not muster the courage, even when he was unconscious, then so be it. Silently, he fell asleep beside Vane, and only hoped his warmth would be enough.


	22. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot wears a hoodie to the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unpopular opinion, maybe? I think Lanchan's hoodie is cute... He's so covered up compared to everyone else... It's okay, Lanchan, every chest is beautiful.

“Are you not taking that off?” Vane actually asked the moment they met outside their changing rooms, clad only in a bright pair of yellow and blue swimming trunks. 

Lancelot didn’t even know where to look. Instead, he turned sharply away to hide his reddening face, quickly adjusting his hoodie as he caught a glance of Vane’s ample chest, “No! Why should I?”

“We’re gonna play volleyball, you’ll get so warm wearing that…” Vane said, and Lancelot cursed his rationality.

“I’ll… I’ll be fine. It’s lightweight, it’ll give me a good sweat,” Lancelot said, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

Vane paused for a moment – Lancelot cycling through all the appropriate excuses to anything Vane might come up with – until he piped up with, “Lan-chan, it’s okay, it’s not about size-”

“It does not bother me in the least!” Lancelot immediately interjected. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane said softly. Lancelot didn’t even want to imagine the look on his face, but he could definitely hear it in his voice. 

“I… I’ll burn easily too…” Lancelot mumbled. He supposed there was some truth to that, his skin being paler; though he didn’t have much experience in the sun, training even on holidays and Feendrache having a rather temperate climate. It was thanks to travelling with the Grancypher that he even had opportunities like this. He would never have seen a beach like the ones on Auguste back home. 

“I’ll put sunscreen on ya!” Vane chirped, “I was just about to put some on myself!”

“Vane!” Lancelot said, flushing. Vane seemed to have an answer to every excuse he had, and Lancelot had already run out of retorts.

“So, no go?” Vane said, with all the sadness of a puppy whine.

“Why…” Lancelot said, cursing the creeping flush of his cheeks, “Why do you want me to take this off?” 

“I was kinda curious…” Vane said, and Lancelot swore his cheeks were red too.

Lancelot was speechless, “What?” He choked out once he had finally recovered.

“Oh. Oh no! Don’t get me wrong!” Vane spluttered, immediately holding his hands up in defence, “I just meant like when we used to compare heights growing up and stuff! I just wanted to see what you looked like in swimming trunks- No, I mean, that came out wrong- ”

After a momentary halt in all his thoughts, Lancelot spluttered out a bubbly laugh, “Alright…” Lancelot said quietly, hands clutching the ends of his hoodie, “But only for you!”

For whatever reason, even though he had agreed to this, Lancelot felt his fingers shake as he grabbed hold of his zip. He wanted to gauge what Vane looked like, waiting in anticipation, but somehow he knew that if he even so much as glanced at him in the middle of disrobing – _for him_ – that he’d immediately regret it. He swallowed. He pulled, the breath he had been unconsciously holding unravelling through his lips, loosening the tension in his shoulders as Vane cooed in awe. 

“Lan-chan! You’ve still got tons of muscle, nothing to be shy about!” Vane said, positivity injected into every syllable. 

“But compared to you…” Lancelot mumbled, his gaze anywhere but Vane’s chest.

“I used to be so much smaller, huh…?” Vane said, bashful at something neither of them could control, “Even Lan-chan gets insecure sometimes…”

“Of course, I’m only human…” Lancelot muttered, quietly pulling the open hoodie inwards.

“I think you look fine just the way you are!” Vane added cheerfully. 

Lancelot simmered in his own quiet, before a wicked grin began to form on his face, “Now… In exchange for looking…!”

“Woah, woah, hey, Lan-chan, c’mon!” Vane spluttered, immediately dodging Lancelot’s lunge forward. 

The two erupted into laughter as Vane tried to wrestle away Lancelot’s hands; when just at that (un)fortunate moment they were plastered together, they heard a familiar bark of anger. 

“Oi. Why are you two taking so long?” Percival growled, arms tightly crossed.

“It’s… It’s not what it looks like!” Vane said, hands holding Lancelot’s arms. 

Percival only narrowed his eyes, “And what exactly is this meant to look like?”

“We’re just comparing sizes!” Lancelot answered back, hands not moving from their positions on Vane’s chest.

Percival only sighed heavily, a hand flitting to his temple, “Get moving, both of you. Siegfried shouldn’t even have worried.”

“Yessir!” They said simultaneously, springing apart from each other to escape Percival’s further fury.

Lancelot did indeed sweat way more than if he had gone shirtless; but at least he was not the one bemoaning his sunburn later on in the day, and he proceeded to prod and tease Vane at every opportunity he had.


	23. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Away from the crowd, Lancelot and Vane watch the fireworks light the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on episode 13 of the anime. Lancelot and Vane have two cameos: one where they’re just standing around in the background; the other where they’re watching fireworks together, but they're separated away from everyone else…

“Hey, let’s get up here!” Vane called to Lancelot, grin as wide as his face as he pointed at the hill overlooking the beach. 

“Up there?” Lancelot said quietly, a quick glance over at where everyone else was gathering.

“C’mon, c’mon! Before it starts!” Vane said impatiently, beckoning him over as he jogged on the spot. 

Lancelot could only sigh, even as a smile made its way onto his face, “Alright, alright,” Lancelot said, letting Vane catch his wrist and drag him along. 

It seemed they weren’t alone in seeking a vantage point, Lancelot thinking for a moment that they were going to join the few stragglers here instead of on the shore; but Vane stopped in a secluded spot, away from all the rest. 

“Here should be good!” Vane said cheerfully, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. 

Lancelot hesitated, wondering if he should ask the question more prevalent on his mind, but instead he opted for: “Why are we up here anyway?”

“I wanted to watch this with you, Lan-chan,” Vane replied in an instant. 

Lancelot could only stare back, “Are you aware of what you’re saying right now?”

“Yeah, ‘course? Something wrong?” Vane said, nothing betraying on his face.

For a moment, Lancelot opened his mouth to speak again – something about something or another – but Vane catching hold of his hand banished every thought out of his head. He stared at their hands connected together, remembering that they were alone, and felt his cheeks burn ablaze. They had held hands when they were children, a time long, long ago; but something about this, being alone in the dark, made something inside Lancelot ache.

“Oh, oh, it’s starting!” Vane chirped, dragging Lancelot closer. 

Anything he wished to say next was drowned out by the rapid fire of explosions above, Lancelot straining his voice in order to catch Vane’s attention; and so he did what he must, and squeezed his hand against Vane’s. It certainly did the job, Vane turning to him immediately; but the dance of light and shadow across his face only caused Lancelot’s heart to flutter faster. 

Vane said something – or tried to, at least – not a sound coming out of his mouth over the din of the sky; but the way he stared back at him made Lancelot’s eyes widen. 

“What was that?!” Lancelot attempted to call over the noise.

“No-thing!” Vane said, accentuating the movements of his mouth and grinning wide thereafter. He nudged into Lancelot, who only gave a confused stare in reply. With nothing else to be said that could be heard, they both turned to watch the sky and all its brilliant lights, Lancelot’s heart thudding in his ears.


	24. Pretty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vane was talking about the flowers, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see update [notes](https://feendrache.dreamwidth.org/2823.html?thread=1287#cmt1287) for an explanation on hanakotoba!

“Pretty…”

Lancelot paused. Vane paused. Time froze. They stared. 

Lyria and Vyrn exchanged knowing glances. 

That singular second shattered when Lancelot and Vane remembered where they were. Petals scattered to the ground as the trees waved gently in the breeze, transfiguring into a whirlwind of delicate pink. Sat close to one another, Vane’s hand hovered awkwardly next to Lancelot’s hair, frozen in midair. 

“The flowers! The flowers!” Vane interjected. “They’re pretty! Not that – not that you’re not pretty! I mean, well…”

Lancelot stared in dumb silence, his mouth agape. Vane was desperately digging himself out of his hole, cheeks pink as the petal he was holding. But as always, Vane’s confusion meant the chance for Lancelot to take charge.

He decided to speak. “So, what meaning do sakura flowers hold?”

Vane veered into the topic in an instant. “Graceful… and beautiful,” Vane softened as he saw Lancelot relax into a smile. 

He was talking about the flowers, of course. Of course. Of course.


	25. Valentines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite all the chocolate he receives, there's a reason why Lancelot constantly forgets about this holiday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuation from Vane's third [Valentine's](https://gbf.wiki/Vane/Lore#Valentine's%20Day) line.
> 
> I find it really funny that Valentine’s lines are for self insert ship teasing, but [Lancelot’s](https://gbf.wiki/Lancelot/Lore#Valentine's%20Day) are always completely oblivious. It's why I think he's bad at being pursued, and the directness in his [White Day](https://gbf.wiki/Lancelot/Lore#White%20Day) lines show he's better at pursuing.

“Why d’ya hide it, Lan-chan?” Vane asked, suddenly popping up out of nowhere, in the middle of Lancelot’s training break.

“Hide what, Vane?” Lancelot said without a pause, rubbing his face against the towel round his neck.

“The chocolate in your room! You usually eat it right away!” Vane persisted, as if he had asked the most obvious thing.

Lancelot furrowed his brow, picking his own brain until he finally remembered, “Ah! That was Valentine’s chocolate.”

“I knew it!” Vane cheered, an additional pump of his fist, until he began to pout dramatically, “Aw, I’m a little jealous…” 

Lancelot paused for a moment, thinking hard about his next words as they walked to the benches together. He hadn’t commented on the gold wrapping or the blue ribbon at all. He wasn’t even sure if it was still in date, if he had to be honest. 

“It’s just the day when women give out chocolate, right?” Lancelot said, casually plopping down next to Vane on the bench.

“No way! I totally forgot you don’t pay attention to it…” Vane mumbled, “You always forget about it…”

“Well, the knights are primarily men. I remember White Day at least,” Lancelot said, casually leaning back, out of Vane’s view.

“Huh…” Vane said quietly, nodding sagely, “I did always get that feeling about ya, Lan-chan…”

“What…” Lancelot said, suddenly feeling a lump form in his throat, “What about?”

“Have you… Have you… Y’know?” Vane said, lowering his voice to a conspirational tone. 

“I don’t know,” Lancelot replied, probably more bluntly than he would have liked.

“Accepted some from someone you like?” Vane said, brightening the way he did when he got onto this kind of topic.

Lancelot gave him a long hard stare, before leaning forward in his seat, “No… I’ve only had obligatory chocolates.”

“No way! C’mon, it takes a lot of guts to do something like that, I’m sure you have more admirers than you think…” Vane said, lightly punching him in the arm.

“Yes, well…” Lancelot mumbled, twiddling his own thumbs as he desperately tried to forget about the chocolate he never gave.

The hairs on the back of Lancelot’s neck stood up as Vane leaned forward to whisper, “Do you… Do you like someone then?”

Lancelot chewed his lip, “I… I can’t tell you.”

“That’s a yes, right?!” Vane said, so loudly that it echoed round the training grounds, “Must be someone super pretty and kind and wonderful to match someone like you…” Vane continued in that ever wistful tone. 

“Yeah…” Lancelot said, his gaze softening as he finally turned to Vane, “Nothing has ever happened though, so I forget every year… but I’ve been waiting… for a long, long time.”

Vane stared at him, wide eyed and speechless, until Lancelot began fretting and Vane suddenly reanimated in time to cut him off, “No way. No way! Tell me. Tell me who do you like?”

“I can’t!” Lancelot said, already flushed a brilliant red.

“Lan-chan!” Vane said, already way too excited for his own good, “I wanna know! Let me set you guys up! You should have told me earlier!”

Lancelot sprang up out of his seat, “I need to resume training!” 

“Lan-chan!” Vane whined, but Lancelot had already leapt down the benches and sprinted halfway down the grounds, his cheeks absolutely ablaze and desperately needing to calm his rapidly beating heart.


	26. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lancelot worries, because Vane will be there to catch him when he falls.

“Don’t worry about it.”

How many times had Vane heard that phrase from Lancelot’s lips. Lancelot would have said it with eyebrows furrowed and a gentle smile on his face, and Vane would retort with: “You’re such a worry wort!” with a grin and a nudge.

They had practised this dance since they could first articulate: Lancelot the leader, and Vane the support. It had felt as natural as breathing, and yet one day, Vane questioned that order.

“I worry, so you don’t have to,” Lancelot had answered, but Vane already knew. 

“Then, I’ll get stronger so you don’t have to worry either.”

Lancelot smiled, and said: “I’m counting on you.”


	27. Watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving forward means to not look back.

“Watch me, Lan-chan!”

With a spring in his step, Vane moved forward, unable to see that Lancelot watched him tenderly from behind.


	28. Shy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The line between platonic and romantic is blurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this is where the M rating comes in.

After their first time together, Vane was still treating him platonically. 

“Say ‘ah’!” Lancelot held a macaron he had made before Vane’s lips. 

Vane opened his big mouth and eclipsed it all in one. Lancelot watched him chew, watched his mouth move. He glimpsed his tongue as he licked his lips, and Lancelot breathed out loudly. 

Impatient and fidgeting, he said: “How was it?”

“Sweet...” Vane mumbled. “But-”

“Let me taste,” was all Lancelot said before his mouth was on Vane’s. Lancelot had climbed onto Vane’s lap in an instant, and was prying open his mouth with his tongue and moaning deep into the kiss. Vane was still shy, had no idea where to put his hands, when he felt Lancelot help him and slam them down onto his thighs. Vane spluttered as he felt Lancelot drag his hands upwards, further and further and closer to his crotch. Lancelot left Vane’s hands there as he wrapped his arms around Vane’s neck. He quivered as Vane’s thumbs pressed into his inner thighs. 

Lancelot pulled away only to breathe. 

“U-Use a different type of sugar...” Vane said quietly, his cheeks inflamed. 

“Vane...” Lancelot mumbled quietly under his breath. He balled his fists on Vane’s chest, right before they shot under his shirt and Vane yelped. 

Vane would remain shy for quite some time. It was not like he was a stranger to physical affection: he’d give pecks on the cheek when they passed each other in the corridor, back rubs after a nice work out, even bathed together once. Vane was best with hugs, tight ones that made Lancelot so safe and secure. It was when the musk and heat of Vane’s body became too much, and Lancelot was coaxing him into sex that Vane would erupt into red. Lancelot would back down when he knew Vane was truly hesitant; but then all too soon, he felt a hand hold him when he made to pull back and he found himself staring at Vane, his eyes squeezed shut and his face ablaze. He’d shower him with kisses then, hold him tight as he moaned. As he pounded into him that night, their fingers intertwined. He watched him writhe, listened to his panting, kissed him as he came, ‘Lan-chan’ on his lips. 

“Vane… If you don’t want to…” Lancelot had said. 

“No!” Vane blushed bright red at the speed of his protest. “I-It’s just that… we’re still new to all this… I hope I’m good at this.”

“More than good,” and Lancelot jumped him again.

Lancelot was astounded the first time Vane led. He was on top that night, candle flame illuminating every one of his muscles. He was still shy, still nervous, but he was determined. His mouth ripped into a moan as he lowered himself onto Lancelot. Vane was a mess, but he was still handsome. He was panting desperately as he rolled his hips, and Lancelot’s hands were tight on his thighs, but he was staring, staring into bright green eyes. 

Lancelot found he was most beautiful when he awoke the next morning, and he’d see Vane next to him, curled up and watching him too. He’d awakened to sunshine, and Lancelot kissed his crown of blonde hair. 

One day, they were asked a question. 

“What are you two?”

Lancelot knocked his hand against Vane’s, and their fingers intertwined.

“Lovers,” they answered.


	29. Rings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Promise.

They spotted rings the first day they were back in Feendrache. Adorned with dragons and made of silver, Lancelot had spotted one inset with yellow zirconia, and Vane had selected one with sapphire. They were each other’s colours and immediately they swapped their findings, before the implications of that action slowly dawned on them. 

Smiling, Lancelot instantly slipped his onto his ring finger, “Thank you for promising yourself to me,” he said softly. 

Vane jumped, his eyes shifting over the waves of people bustling in the marketplace. As he inhaled in deep to remind himself to breathe, he placed it on a much more neutral finger, but Lancelot pouted when he saw. 

“So that when we hold hands, the ring won’t be there!” Vane stammered. 

Lancelot stared at him; until finally, he smiled and sighed. He knocked against Vane’s hand, their rings bumping together regardless, and grasped his fingers tight, “Then I suppose we should hold hands more often, right?”

“But… we’re back home now…” Vane shrunk into his shoulders.

Lancelot only nudged against him, his hand drifting over Vane’s, but there he still lingered, his pinky hooking onto his. They slipped into silence, their rings snug on their fingers. 

“Lan-chan…” as the crowd began to thin, Vane stepped in front of Lancelot. His face was red, but his voice was urgent, “Um… Do you… Do you…?” 

“Yes?” 

“Do you want to… Do you want to… come…” Vane’s voice drifted into a whisper. 

“Come?” Lancelot raised his eyebrows.

“L-L-L…” Vane stopped. Then, bellowed at the top of his lungs in frustration, “House!” Vane began to shout, “I-I’ll tidy your room everyday!”

Lancelot was surprised to say the least, “But you do that anyway?”

“No! Lan-chan! Let me tidy your room everyday!” 

“Vane?”

Vane’s face was deep red with fluster and frustration, “Our room!”

“Our? Ah!” Lancelot began to feel his cheeks mirror Vane’s own, “Live with you?”

“Yes!” Vane’s eyes shone as he straightened up. 

Lancelot’s eyes widened, his gaze swivelling down as Vane took both his hands into his. Their rings glittered: silver, sunshine and sky. 

“I’m in your care.”


	30. Protect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had always chased after him; but to protect was to shield, and Vane stood in front of Lancelot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally part of [Rings](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10337912/chapters/28197675).

When they arrived back at the knights’ quarters, everything was already in disarray. Monsters were on the horizon, and Lancelot and Vane slipped back into their positions like they had never left. Barely off the Grancypher, they were back on the battlefield, armed and ready.

Still, they were still human, and barely had had time to rest, when Lancelot spotted Vane separated from him and his back turned. His heart lurched, and Lancelot dove forward without a second thought. He knew it would have been quicker simply to call him, but protecting Vane was ingrained in his veins, and Lancelot couldn’t stop the urge more than the sun could stop rising and setting. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane turned and spotted Lancelot just as he collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. 

“It’s not over yet!” Lancelot grunted, leaning heavily against the sword he had planted into the ground. 

Before they could even breathe, another wave broke through, but Vane was there shielding Lancelot before he could even blink.

“Vane!” Lancelot’s scream tore through his throat. 

Vane grunted under the strain. He roared as he flung his halberd back, repelled the strike with a single blow. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, “Lan-chan? You okay?”

“Yeah,” Lancelot breathed a sigh of relief. He pushed himself up and clapped his hand on his shoulder, “I’m here.”

“Lan-chan, I’ll protect you,” Vane gripped his halberd tight. Right at that moment, Vane turned to Lancelot, “I love you.”

Lancelot stared. 

The floodgates had opened and now here was Vane, his heart revealed, his feelings spilling out, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he was beaming, shining bright, a burden lifted from his shoulders, “I’ll always protect you.”

Lancelot, a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, found himself distracted. He barely caught a glimpse of a noble, serious expression as Vane immediately swept Lancelot up in his arms. Lancelot responded immediately, diving into Vane and capturing him in a tight hug. He closed his eyes for a second, but his hands were still tight on his swords.

This was no time for losing concentration. Lancelot pushed himself off of Vane and resumed his position, back to back with Vane. His face was blazing, and he knew Vane had seen that moment of weakness, but what did that matter when Vane was willing to take all of him. 

“I’ll protect you too. I’m counting on you,” Lancelot gripped his swords tight, just to ground him from walking on air. 

“Alright!” Vane pumped his halberd high into the air, a grin in his voice. “Let’s show them our strength!”

“Together! Our hearts are one!” Lancelot nodded, and simultaneously, they stepped forward.


	31. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The original oneshot: domestic, daily life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire drabble collection started with this idea. 
> 
> I originally called the cat Arthur... Luckily I procrastinated with this and Divergent Knighthoods released, or hoo boy, that would have conflicted canon... (23/06/18 Update: I retconned the nameless cat to Muto, as per the manga's name for it).

As diligent as he was, Lancelot doesn’t recall a time he had woken up before Vane. Every morning since they had first started living together, he’d wake up to the smell of something cooking. Pancakes, waffles… usually something sweet. There were days when he’d wake up that he’d wish he didn’t see an empty bed, but not a moment after that thought, he’d see Vane up bright and early and still able to crack him a grin. It’d instil him with energy, and instead of lazing about, Lancelot found he could wrap his arms around broad shoulders and then be instantly showered with kisses. 

Today was exactly one of those days. 

Lancelot moaned gently into Vane as he nuzzled him, “Good morning.”

“Mornin’,” Vane said, “Open your mouth.”

Without hesitation, Lancelot obeyed, and as usual, he was rewarded with the taste of something sweet. He smiled and hummed in approval as he began to recognise the soft texture of chiffon cake melting on his tongue and the sweetness of sugar that made him perk right up. 

“How is it?” Vane said, pride in his voice. 

“So good!” Lancelot chirped. They took one look at each other, and Lancelot pecked him on the lips. “Have you seen Muto around?”

Vane shook his head, “Now that you mention it…”

“We need to apologise to him after shooing him out of the room last night...” Lancelot frowned. 

“Then, he’ll probably be sulking somewhere,” Vane said. He dug around in the cupboard and handed Lancelot a packet of cat food. “Lure him out with treats!”

Lancelot set himself to do just that. 

Soon enough, Lancelot found him. A white cat lay curled up inside himself, snoozing away in the warm noon sunlight. 

Lancelot paused.

* * *

“Did you find Muto?” Vane asked as he popped his head in later. 

“Yeah,” Lancelot said sleepily, “But he’s sulking...”

Vane huffed playfully as he placed his hands on his hips, not even bothering to hide his smile. He tiptoed over, footsteps light, and crouched down to observe the lazy pair. 

Vane found himself memorised by Lancelot dozing in the sunbeams. He was curled up to accommodate Muto; the hand not beneath his head idly atop soft white fur. Vane adored the way the sun painted his black hair a golden hue, the way he could see a glimpse of blue through his long eyelashes. 

When Lancelot failed to hear Vane speak, he perked his head up. He looked over, his eyes barely half open, “What is it, Vane?”

“Nothing…” Vane said in the softest of whispers. He planted a kiss atop his forehead that Lancelot nuzzled into. Without another word, Vane fell into place on the other side of Muto, hand brushing against white, and then black hair, and the three fell into quiet, peaceful slumber.

* * *

Upon awakening from their afternoon nap, Lancelot addressed Vane in the setting sunlight.

“Hey, Vane…” Lancelot said softly. Sleep remained thick in his veins. When Vane gave a quiet noise of acknowledgement, he continued, “You don’t have to get up so early everyday. Can you… stay in bed a while with me tomorrow?”

“Lan-chan?” Vane’s voice was quiet.

“I want to see you like this more often,” Lancelot said, as he brushed his hand against Vane’s hair. 

Vane didn’t, couldn't, say a word back; and only erupted into bright red.

* * *

The next morning, Vane was there, as promised. 

He was already sat up, sipping a warm mug of tea as he shuffled through a handful of assorted letters. It was cheating he supposed, but at least, he was there. 

“Did we get any mail?” Lancelot mumbled into Vane’s thigh. 

“Yeah! Sophia! She says she’s doing good, she’s still with the Captain’s crew,” Vane said excitedly, a grin on his face. He set down everything aside and ruffled Lancelot’s hair, earning him a prompt groan, “Good morning, Lan-chan. Breakfast is a bit cold, but I can warm it up for you.”

Lancelot stared right up at Vane for a moment. Their eyes remained fixed upon one another without another word, until Lancelot leapt up and dragged Vane right down into bed. 

“Thank you for the meal,” was all Lancelot said as he captured up Vane’s lips in hunger. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane immediately spluttered as Lancelot travelled down to his neck. Whatever he wanted to say next was eclipsed by his moan however, and Lancelot pushed Vane into the pillows as he straddled himself across his waist. 

Breakfast got even colder then – but at least Vane was kept warm.

* * *

They had been training in the sun, and panting and tired, Vane tugged his shirt over his shoulders. Lancelot stared. 

“Lan-chan!” 

“Ah! Um...” Lancelot trailed off, still obviously staring, “Yeah, sure.”

Vane didn’t waste the opportunity to hug Lancelot tight to obscure his view. Lancelot didn’t mind though. Lancelot held on tight as Vane chuckled, “Did you even hear what I asked?”

“Yeah, of course,” Lancelot murmured into the crook of Vane’s neck. He was sweaty and warm. 

Vane could only laugh as he gently swayed Lancelot to and fro in his arms. He looked down at Lancelot, his eyes closed in content. “Do you want to go for a shower?”

Lancelot nodded, murmured an agreement, but before they had even reached their bathroom, Lancelot had Vane against the wall, to sink down to the floor with kisses and touches. Lancelot cried out as he felt himself filled, and with every bounce, he chanted his name: “Vane… Vane… Vane.” 

They showered together shortly after, for a long, long while.

* * *

By the light of dawn and for the day’s first ship, Lancelot and Vane waited together on the port. 

It was a ritual since they were first knights. Formerly footsoldiers, now captain and vice captain, Lancelot and Vane had always called this order their home. Dragon Knights, Black or White, they would defend Feendrache until their last breath; as long as they had each other, they were unstoppable. 

Making sure not to lose eye contact for a second, Lancelot kissed the ring on his finger and Vane instantly bloomed into red. Hesitantly, in response, Vane perked out his lips and pressed his matching ring against them.

“Come home safe,” Lancelot said quietly. 

“I’ll come home to you,” Vane replied.


	32. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Affection without words.

His forehead first. Then, his neck, a touch of desire. His chest, his scars. His biceps, his forearm. Vane held Lancelot’s hand then, kissed his knuckles before lacing his fingers with his, then pushed back to kiss them too. Every kiss, every breath: an affirmation of affection. 

Lancelot sighed, his breath heavy in the air. Vane would keep climbing, going, and Lancelot would let him. He tilted his head back, revealed his neck, and Vane would kiss and suck and nibble. He didn’t leave an inch of skin behind, needed to let Lancelot know that he loved every part of him. That bump from when they had fallen out of a tree together, that scar from when he was too late to save him from Isabella. 

Lancelot was naked. Nothing obscured Vane’s way forward. He travelled. His chest, his stomach. Still, Lancelot was a little far for Vane’s liking, and so with hands tight on Lancelot’s thighs and a little pull closer, Lancelot was then fully underneath him. 

A simple kiss by his inner thighs and Lancelot’s legs were wide open. Vane crept closer, closer, closer, kiss by kiss by kiss, until he stopped. Vane looked up, their eyes interlocked, just before Vane leaned forward and their lips met, slow and steady. There was no need to exchange words, no need to open his mouth – not when it was possible to communicate with a simple touch of his lips.

A kiss to say good night.

A kiss to say good morning. 

A kiss. A kiss. A kiss. 

A kiss: for all those times he wanted to say ‘I love you’.


	33. Beloved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reserved, polite Lancelot is determined to show Vane just how much he embodies the word 'love'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dumb and cheesy, but so are they.

It was Vane’s birthday.

Or at least – that was the only explanation for all this. But Vane was completely sure that wasn’t the case, because his birthday had definitely happened very recently. How could he forget being surprised out of nowhere at the end of a busy day and bursting into tears, because so many people had come out of nowhere in one room screaming ‘happy birthday!’ at him. At the centre of it all had been Lancelot, grin as wide as his face, holding a towering cake that he had proudly said he had made himself. It had taken days to finish eating that cake, even when everyone on the Grancypher – Percival and Siegfried and Sophia too – and so many others from across the sky had been there to celebrate with them. He had the photos of him ugly crying, so he was sure he hadn’t dreamt it all. 

So, waking up in a room full of roses was definitely not what Vane had expected this morning.

“Lan-chan?!” Vane called in a panic, turning to his side, but he found nothing there. He even lifted the covers to make sure, but Lancelot wasn’t hiding underneath there either. With nothing else to do, he cast his gaze over the floor littered with petals and flowers, and groaned, “There’s so much to clean…”

Still, staying in bed provided little to no answers, so Vane threw off the covers to get ready for the day. It was seldom that Lancelot woke up earlier than him, so flustered and confused, Vane began running about, eventually coming to a stop when he noticed a small letter on the kitchen table. 

_I’m sorry I can’t be here right now… Please enjoy the breakfast I left for you._

“Definitely Lan-chan…” Vane muttered, recognising his handwriting. He looked down, and sure enough, a plate of pancakes wrapped in cling film had been hidden underneath. Lancelot rarely entered the kitchen himself, only doing so for practical reasons – like making sure he didn’t starve if Vane wasn’t around – but the pancakes he had prepared were suitably nice. Not overloaded with sugar like once upon a time. Sometimes, his sweet tooth was a detriment. 

Vane lost himself in savouring Lancelot’s cooking, before realising he should really get a move on to find some answers, and quickly shovelled the rest into his mouth and scrambled to the door. He did slightly regret that move, but that only meant he should pester Lancelot to try his hand at cooking some more.

“Lan-chan… What’s going on…?” He muttered out loud as he stepped out the door.

The rest of the day, in between his duties, Vane asked round for Lancelot: “Have you seen Lan-chan around? Do you know where Lan-chan is? He’s not in his office?”

Honestly, it wasn’t much different from usual; but every time he asked, he received no substantial answer. However, he was given a gift each time he asked about Lancelot, and he accepted them all, despite it all adding to his confusion. 

“Vice Captain Vane! Captain Lancelot wanted you to have this. Have a good day, sir!”

“Oh, dearie… Lancelot knew you’d come by. Aren’t you always together? Here, it’s from him, and an extra too!”

As the sun began to set and Vane still had no answers, Vane was beginning to feel dejection sink into his soul. 

That was until he eventually found Arthur and his friends coming home from an expedition – or more like, he heard cheerful shouts slowly coming closer from the distance.

“Vice Captain Vane! How was your day?” Arthur said brightly, not a breath out of place despite his running. 

“Arthur! Everyone!” Vane beamed, “Good, good! The usual, nothing to report! Oh. Wait. Have you seen Lan-chan around?”

“Yeah, we were just with him,” Mordred replied, nudging Arthur forward.

“Oh yeah… He actually said to give you this,” Arthur said quickly upon Mordred’s prompt, digging into his bag. It was a handwritten letter, much like what had been left behind in the kitchen that morning.

_I apologise for my absence today, emergency procedures outside the capital required my assistance. I had prepared something in advance, and though it may be late, it is still appropriate for today. Please look for me at the marketplace where we made our promises._

Vane sighed as the words sunk in, relief flooding his body, that bloomed into a smile upon his lips. Vane was also a stubborn fellow, and as long as a strand of hope remained, he would cling onto it desperately. Clutching his precious clue, Vane immediately sped off, yelling, “Thanks, you guys! Dinner’s on me tomorrow!”

He took one more look at the confused waves of his little chicks, before Vane picked up his pace. He knew exactly what Lancelot meant. Without breaking his stride, he gently brushed his hand against the bag on his hip, the ring that matched Lancelot’s hidden inside, still kept close even when he was wearing his armour. 

It shouldn’t take too long to get there from the knights’ quarters, if he took a left– 

Vane shook his head. He didn’t dare take any shortcuts and get himself lost, not at a time like this. He followed the normal signposted path, and soon enough, he arrived at the marketplace. The stalls were busy packing away their unsold wares; but still, when they caught sight of Vane, they called him over with offers of gifts and heavily discounted deals, but Vane had to guiltily turn them all down. They made quick promises of meeting on another day, and thus, Vane was able to continue on his way. 

At the end of the marketplace was a church; but today, Vane noticed there was something different from its usual appearance. A trail of roses lay scattered up the cobble path, almost calling his name. They were the same flowers as the ones that had been in his room this morning, and finally, Vane knew he was on the right path. Even the petals that mysteriously fell from above, as he stepped into the nave, were the same as the ones from this morning. Quietly, he thumbed the one that had landed in his palm, his thoughts on one person. 

He looked up, closing the church doors behind him, and the light that had flooded in from outside disappeared, making it all the more apparent that the hall was not lit. Using the last glimpses of the setting sunlight filtering through the stained glass, Vane stepped forward, walking past the empty pews, towards what looked like a figure stood at the altar.

“I apologise for the wait.”

The figure moved, and turned. 

“Lan-chan!” 

“Would you accompany me tonight?” Even in the dim light, Lancelot’s smile was radiant. He was dressed in his suit; the ring on his finger, the one that matched his, glimmering against the setting sun. In his hands was a bouquet of roses. 

Tears began to build in his throat, but before they spilled over, Vane answered back with a delighted nod. He ran towards the altar, sweeping Lancelot into his arms, catching himself in the moment as he spun him round in the air. The bouquet of roses dropped to the floor as Lancelot wrapped his arms round Vane’s shoulders for support, and they laughed brightly at their reunion. 

“I missed you!” Vane cheered, holding him up to the sunlight.

“We were together last night!” Lancelot replied back brightly. 

“I still missed you!” Vane said, setting him down right in front of him. He stared for only a moment, before leaning down and capturing his lips. In that quiet church with no one else around, they stayed together in each other’s arms as if time did not matter.

“Happy anniversary,” Lancelot whispered as soon as he pulled back.

“Oh? It was?” Vane said quietly. 

“Vane!” Lancelot said, pinching his cheek, “Did you not check everything?”

“Oh yeah, yeah…” Vane muttered, until Lancelot let go of him, “I was so worried about you that I forgot. I have the stuff all here though…”

They sat down together on the front pew, Vane pulling out all the gifts from inside his bag, feeling very much like Santa as he presented Lancelot everything he had been given. As Lancelot eagerly looked at him, Vane glanced back at the presents laid out on the pew and hesitantly took the first into his hand. 

Each and every one of the gifts were celebratory: roses, wines, chocolates, symbols imbued with love. Vane had unwrapped the first with surprise, but as he delved deeper and deeper into all the gifts he had, he soon felt rather overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness of everything combined. They were small individually, but Vane could recall who had given each and every one of them to him.

“I had only asked for a few of these…” Lancelot said softly, taking Vane’s hands into his.

“What? A lot of people said…” Vane stared back at him.

“I had only given instructions to hide my surprise for our anniversary…” Lancelot replied simply. 

Vane found himself staring at Lancelot, his words stolen away from him in that moment. Lancelot softened, unable to keep his stare as Vane sat in shock, and without another word, he leaned against his shoulder. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Lancelot said quietly.

“How… How is that…?” Vane said, already feeling a blush creep up his cheeks.

Lancelot turned, quiet as he gazed at Vane’s face, “I love you.”

“Lan-” But Vane was silenced by Lancelot pressing his lips against his. He breathed hard as he pulled back, pressing his forehead against his and holding his head close. 

“I love you. I love you so much. And so many others love you too. I want you to love yourself the way I love you,” Lancelot whispered.

“Lan… Lan-chan…” The tears he had kept at bay now spilled over and Vane was choking on his sobs as Lancelot stroked his hair. 

“I love you,” Lancelot said, as he pulled him in close and hugged him tight. 

They stayed together like that, quiet in the empty church, until it was time to leave; and then, they walked back together along the empty streets at night, hand in hand, as they always had been figuratively, as Captain and Vice Captain, as childhood friends, as lifelong lovers.


	34. Incubus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [E] 'Humans are only food': that was their only relation to incubi. So, when an incubus takes up a virgin’s whim to date before sex, he realises too late that he’s fallen into that same human trap all over again. [modern incubus!Lancelot x human!Vane AU, implied past Lancelot/Siegfried] 
> 
> Cameos from Siegfried and Percival, who are part of a LARP group with Vane, because they’re nerds like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Enjoy this monster that got way out of hand /o\
> 
>  **Word count:** 11, 275 words.

One morning, Vane woke up to a beautiful face he didn’t recognise. Ice blue eyes framed by raven locks peered down at him and Vane recoiled upright from slumber. There had been a weight oppressing him, Vane had dreamt of difficult matters, and when he returned to the realm of the living; there he was, face to face with a beautiful man on top of him. Vane breathed hard, the shock of a stranger in his room bringing fire to his lungs. A smile curled on the stranger’s lips, and now that Vane was further away, he began to notice his strange Halloween costume: horns, tail and wings of a demon, all pitch black as night. 

“Who are you?!” Vane demanded, using his pillow as a shield. 

The beautiful man only offered him a smile. He hadn’t stayed startled for long. “I’m here for you.”

“Me?” Vane didn’t lower his pillow.

“Yes, you,” the man crept closer and Vane shuffled back. “I want you.”

Vane wasn’t that kind of man, Vane wasn’t that kind of man. He had never brought home women or men – the only person who had ever breathed air in this room was he and he alone. He hadn’t even gone drinking last night. Vane’s mind was a soup of thoughts as he rattled his brain for answers. “Um, uh, I think you have the wrong person,” Vane stood up and out of bed, his decision final.

But before Vane could advance even a step, the stranger had shot out a hand to hold Vane firmly in place. Immediately, Vane yelped in confusion. Upon interlocking their fingers, he brought his hand to his lips. “I have the right person. A man like you… So big, so strong. You’ll be a fine meal.”

“Huh?” Vane expelled the air out of his lungs in confusion. He tried to shake his hand off, but the man was surprisingly strong. 

“I want your semen,” the man’s delicate lips formed every syllable with an undeniable smile.

“My _what_?” Vane’s eyes almost popped out of his skull.

With his free hand, the man beckoned closer with his finger. His eyes were shining, but they were cold, cold ice. Vane stood his ground, awkwardly staring down at him, cursing his persistently fluttering heart. 

“Look, I-I don’t know you. I can’t do that kind of thing with you,” Vane spluttered, red creeping up his cheeks.

“Why not?” was his only answer.

“Because!” Vane flung down the arm being held by the stranger, but still could not break his hold. Vane squeezed shut his eyes. “I’m not that kind of man!”

“Curious,” the man pursed his lips.

“I-I can’t take advantage of you like that,” Vane said, his mind a mess. “I-I should be taking you out to a date, or give you flowers… Get to know you better, y’know?”

The stranger paused to think. Finally, he looked up. “Only then, we’ll sleep together?”

“Maybe?” Vane whined, emphasis on the ‘maybe’. He just wanted him to let go of his hand now.

“Alright,” the man smiled wide. “I am called Lancelot.”

“Vane,” Vane said, nodding. “Please let go of me.”

Lancelot did so, and Vane claimed his hand back, its warmth a reminder that this was really happening. Some stranger had materialised in his room, then offered to sleep with him – all in the space of their first meeting. Vane stared awkwardly back at Lancelot’s mysterious smile, unable to decipher this stranger he had just met. They eyed each other in a tense silence, until Vane decided to speak up.

“…It’s not Halloween yet… Why are you dressed up like that?” Vane said quietly. 

“Oh?” Lancelot absentmindedly reached a hand into his hair to touch his horns, almost hidden in the mess that were his raven curls. “Do you not realise what I am?”

Vane shook his head. Lancelot sighed and patted the bed next to him. Hesitantly, slowly, Vane perched himself back onto his own bed, and Lancelot was purring next to him in an instant. Vane had no idea what to do as Lancelot snuggled into him, frozen in place by a sudden warmth flooding straight to his groin.

“I’m an incubus,” Lancelot said in a whisper down Vane’s ear that sent shivers down his spine.

“A… demon?” Vane said quietly, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Vane certainly couldn’t spot a headband attaching those horns to his head.

Lancelot’s roaming hand crept further and further down. “Specifically of the sex variety.”

“What? No!” Vane batted down Lancelot’s hand, much to the latter’s surprise. “They’re not real.”

“I assure you I am quite real,” Lancelot said, purring.

Before Vane knew what was happening, he was suddenly staring up at the ceiling, though his view was quickly replaced by Lancelot smiling over him. For one so lithe, Lancelot had a surprising amount of strength. 

“I can show you,” Lancelot whispered as he tucked his hair behind his ear. 

Vane’s first kiss was thus with an incubus. Vane’s eyes were wide, but Lancelot was soft; his lips, his touch. He had never seen another person this close up before, and Vane spotted eyelashes, long and thick. For a moment, Lancelot stared deep into Vane’s eyes, and Vane saw his reflection drowning in blue, then he was gone and Vane was left staring at snow white skin. Vane was frozen, but Lancelot began to move, one hand to hold his cheek, the other sneaking down, down, down. 

At that, Vane decided enough was enough and, with all his might, threw Lancelot off him. Vane scrambled to sit, to face this demon head on. He could still feel Lancelot’s lips ghosting on his, a yearning in his groin. His breathing heavy, Vane shook his head, and finally forced himself out of his reverie. 

“You weren’t charmed?” Lancelot showed the most amount of surprise yet. “Your willpower…”

“Geez,” Vane breathed out as he regained his mind. Lancelot fiddled with the spade of his tail as he waited. “What was that?”

Lancelot glanced up. “A kiss. I can give you more if you like.”

“N-No thanks,” Vane held his pillow – his shield – in front of him. “We need to talk… I barely know you and… and you’re doing this.”

“Are you shy?” Lancelot bobbed his tail up and down, a playful smile on his lips. 

“Ugh!” Vane threw his pillow at him, and Lancelot caught it swiftly. “Please! Just… not now, okay? I… I… need to get ready.”

Vane scrambled to his feet, brushing a hand through his hair to alleviate the muddle that was his mind. Lancelot’s eyes followed him, bemused, and as Vane got changed, he had the uncomfortable feeling that Lancelot watched him throughout. Upon opening the door to his room, Vane finally acknowledged Lancelot’s presence. 

“What was your name again?” Vane said, turning his head to look at him.

“Lancelot.”

“Ugh, too long!” Vane pulled his face. “Lan-chan it is!” 

Lancelot’s eyes widened: the first time he had lost all his composure. “What? No!”

“Too late! Lan-chan! I gotta get going!” Vane gestured with his hand to shoo him out.

Lancelot sprung up off the bed and marched up to Vane. “What on earth is that name?” 

Vane grinned, finally feeling he had the upper hand. “Lan-chan, please. I’m leaving and need to lock up.”

“Don’t call me Lan-chan!” What had once been cool confidence was replaced by blushing cheeks, and Vane couldn’t help but notice how much cuter he was flustered. 

“Lan-chan, Lan-chan, Lan-chan,” he sang, enjoying how it rolled off his tongue. 

“Don’t!” Pink was becoming red. 

“Lan-chan, Laaaaaaan-chan,” Vane began to giggle. 

“No!” In a flash, Lancelot had slammed his hand centimetres away from Vane’s head. His blue eyes were a chill. “Don’t call me that!” 

Vane blinked to regain his footing. Perhaps it was wrong of him to provoke this stranger’s anger; but still, impulsively, he opened his mouth again. “…Lan-chan.”

Lancelot’s lips were on Vane’s in an instant. Standing up, Vane was taller, but only by centimetres. Yet that height was easily conquered when Lancelot pulled Vane’s shirt down and knocked his lips onto his. A swipe of the tongue and Vane’s mouth opened, Vane crying out at the sudden intrusion. 

He spluttered, “Lan-chan!”

Lancelot bit down hard on Vane’s lip and Vane made to recoil, but Lancelot was holding him still, pinning him against the door. 

“Don’t,” Lancelot breathed, and he was back to sealing his lips. 

It was Lancelot’s turn to pull back, and he did so abruptly, a trail of saliva still connecting the two together. Lancelot licked his lips as he tucked his hair behind his ear. He looked shy for a second, but Vane blinked and he was back to his usual cool self. 

Vane wiped his mouth, unsure at what had just happened. “Lan-”

Lancelot clapped his hand onto Vane’s mouth. He narrowed his eyes, then slowly released him.

“-chan…” 

Lancelot expelled the air out of his lungs. “To think you have embarrassed me. You’re stronger than I thought.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Vane puffed out his cheeks. 

“I’ll humour you for now,” Lancelot stared up at him. “Vane.”

Vane blinked. His voice was melodic; a gentle timbre, a smooth tone, and the way he said ‘Vane’ sent him reeling for a moment. Vane stared into those blue eyes, feeling himself lost. He began to realise what it meant to be charmed. 

“Are you not leaving?” Lancelot awoke Vane from his daydream. 

“Ah! Siegfried!” Vane jumped. He started out of his room, breezed through the front door in minutes, without even an attempt to eat. As Vane fished into his pocket for keys, he glanced up and noticed Lancelot by his side. 

“Your…?” Vane pointed vaguely in his direction.

“I can hide them,” Lancelot answered simply. Now he looked like a regular human, a demon blended into everyday life. He was dressed very modestly, for someone who had offered to sleep with him the moment they had met: a simple blue vest on top of a black, long sleeved polo neck, all affixed with the simple use of belts. If not for the fact that his clothes were form fitting, Lancelot actually left too much to the imagination, as he was fully covered from neck to toe. Perhaps what was of most interest were his legs: long and slender, accented by his thigh high boots. It certainly highlighted his slim build. 

“Huh…” Even as late as he was, Vane patted Lancelot’s head, just to check if they were really gone. Surprisingly, Lancelot only scrunched up his face, letting Vane do as he wished, including absentmindedly running his hands through his hair. Vane mused to himself how soft his hair was, unable to stop himself. 

“You’re late,” Lancelot said, his hands reaching up to stop Vane when his hair was thoroughly messed up. 

“Ah!” Vane was startled again and onwards he ran to catch the bus.

* * *

Siegfried was waiting when they arrived, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was alone in the corner of a sunny park, filled with picnickers, schoolkids going home, and other such patrons. He was waiting, with what looked like swords in hand. It was approaching an hour past their scheduled time, but Siegfried had still amused himself, idly watching everyone pass him by, as if he never existed. When he noticed the pair approach, he looked at confusion at Vane’s new companion. 

“This is Lan-chan,” Vane said simply.

“Lancelot,” Lancelot interjected immediately.

“It is nice to meet you, Lancelot,” Siegfried said pleasantly, a hand on his chest as he bowed slightly. Lancelot had no idea what to do with himself and merely bowed back. His eyes never left Siegfried’s face, not even when he had lowered his head. 

“Was something the matter, Vane? You’re unusually late,” Siegfried turned to Vane, who laughed sheepishly. 

“Lan-chan made me late…” Vane replied, his hand rubbing his neck. 

“Now, Vane, don’t blame others for your mistakes,” Siegfried said gently.

“Yes, Siegfried, sir,” Vane said, bowing at the hip. 

With a gentle chuckle, he patted Vane on the head. “Let’s begin,” Siegfried said, handing Vane a practice sword because he had forgotten everything. “Lancelot, please be careful.”

For a moment, he appeared distracted, before Lancelot finally acknowledged him and gave them room. He replaced Siegfried on the bench he had been sitting on, and Vane grinned as he felt Lancelot’s eyes upon him. 

This was just one of many private lessons Siegfried had been giving him, and Vane was determined to show off the fruits of his labour in front of an audience. It was only a performance of a fight: no blood, no wounds, no endangering of life, but fighting Siegfried was always a thrill. Everyone at the LARP group he had created was dazzled by Siegfried’s strength. They had heard rumours of his training regime, and were mesmerised by his muscles, even though his wardrobe consisted of mainly ponchos and capes. Siegfried was strong – there was no doubt about that – and as Vane parried off another attack, he desperately wished he looked even the slightest bit ‘cool’ faced up against someone like him. 

Their lesson ended before Vane had landed a single hit on Siegfried, but sadly Siegfried had to remind him of park opening hours. With their lesson over, Siegfried offered apologies he was unable to chat much, but Lancelot was silent again, his eyes trained on Siegfried’s face. 

“Excuse me,” Lancelot blurted out quickly, just as Siegfried began to leave. Vane noticed his face with interest. For someone who had seemed cool and confident, Lancelot looked strangely vulnerable for that split second he reached out to Siegfried.

“Yes?” Siegfried, already a few steps away, turned back to look at Lancelot.

“Please…” Lancelot said, his voice quiet. “Your name is…”

Siegfried immediately realised his mistake. “Siegfried. My name is Siegfried. My apologies, Lancelot, that was rude of me. We’ll talk more next time we meet,” With a smile, he was gone and Lancelot did not pursue any further. 

With his departure, Lancelot and Vane made their way back home, but not before Vane could finally silence his growling stomach. Vane had offered to pay for Lancelot’s meal, just as he had with his bus ticket, but Lancelot had only smiled serenely, all while taking a long look down Vane’s entire body. Vane immediately thought better and retracted his offer. So, here they were, sat in a booth together, with two meals that Vane could totally eat by himself. Still, at least Lancelot had asked for a milkshake, Vane raising his eyebrows upon learning he had a sweet tooth. 

“That man… Siegfried,” Lancelot said quietly, eyes on the table. 

“He’s cool, really cool! Right?” Vane was beaming.

Lancelot smiled back. “Yes,” Lancelot paused, then said, “Do you…?”

Vane shook his hands, his face bloomed red. “N-No! He’s too cool for me! Way out of my league!”

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” Lancelot didn’t need to ask, but nonetheless, his lips curled upwards as Vane’s eyes widened. 

“Y-Yeah,” Vane spluttered, shrinking into himself. Lancelot’s smile grew wider even as he sipped through his straw, and Vane felt himself grow flustered. 

“I’ll take care of you,” Lancelot said, a song in his voice.

“Ugh…” Vane groaned, then straightened up. “Why are you here anyway…?”

“ _Why_ are we here on this planet today?” Lancelot said, smiling serenely, betraying nothing.

“Lan-chan, don’t do this complex stuff on me when I’m tired!” Vane shot his hands into the air in protest.

“But don’t you wonder sometimes?” Lancelot said, turning his face to look out the window. The sky had already grown dark: a deep black sprinkled with stars.

Vane paused as he found himself staring at Lancelot in contemplation. “Lan-chan’s that kind of person, huh?” Vane said without thinking. 

Lancelot turned his head back, though his eyes were lowered. He looked solemn, serious, an expression that caused Vane to soften. “I’ve lived countless generations and I’ve met countless people like you. I remember their faces, I remember their names. And I wonder why I still do this.”

Vane listened quietly as Lancelot continued. With Lancelot’s eyes still lowered, Vane shuffled around on the soft sofa seats until he was sat next to him. Without another word, he wrapped his arms around Lancelot. “Did… Siegfried remind you of something?” Vane said quietly. 

Lancelot tensed up immediately, but Vane tightened his hold. After a pause, he answered. “Yes,” Lancelot closed his eyes.

“You’ve looked odd since you met him,” Vane said gently. “He didn’t seem to know you, but you seem to know him?” 

There wasn’t an immediate answer from Lancelot. Finally, he huffed through his nose and wrapped his arms around Vane too. “You’re more sensitive than you look, Vane.”

“Hey, hey,” Vane said, rocking him to and fro. 

“That was a compliment,” Lancelot said. After breathing out deeply, he pushed himself out of Vane’s arms, only to reach up and hold Vane’s face. He held a smile that dipped into loneliness. 

As Lancelot’s gaze hazed over with all his worries, Vane quietly cupped his hands over his. “What matters is that you’re here now.”

Lancelot blinked, breaking out of his trance. He was lost for words. His eyes desperately searching through Vane’s, he finally found his voice, but all he could say was: “Vane…” 

Vane grinned. “I just do what I know feels right.”

Lancelot dropped everything and turned to face the table. “And what do you think is right?” 

Vane frowned and hummed as he pondered. Lancelot picked his head up, watching Vane distracted in thought. He looked so different from the man who had basked in sunlight moments before, laughing and playing despite the physical toil. Vane was brimming with energy; an afternoon spent with him proved all that much to him at least. Even clad in a hoodie that hid his physique, it was clear that Vane had a strong build, but within that, he was soft, much softer than his appearance would have suggested. 

Vane’s eyes lit up as he reached his conclusion. “Oh! I know! I protect the people I love!” Vane grinned, satisfied with himself. He nodded, and Lancelot’s eyes widened at the grin on his face. “I’ll protect you too!”

“We’ve just met,” Lancelot said plainly.

“Yeah, but you said I can get to know you. So, I’ll do that, and we’ll get closer, right? No doubt about it!” Vane hooked an arm around Lancelot’s shoulders, who despite himself, let himself be swept up. “It’ll be fun!”

Lancelot opened his mouth to protest at first, before he sighed and found himself smiling. “Sure, why not.”

“Yeah!” Vane pumped his free arm into the air. “We’ll be the best of friends from here on out!”

Lancelot sighed again, but he couldn’t deny Vane had enthusiasm. 

Their meals continued with Vane chattering away, not returning to his seat opposite, and then they made their journey back. As Vane snored on Lancelot’s shoulder on the bus ride back, Lancelot said softly, “Maybe you’ve charmed me…”

* * *

“Oh no, you can’t sleep here!” Vane spluttered. Vane was about to open his door, before realising Lancelot had already begun taking his shoes off. “Go back home!”

Lancelot stared at him, innocence painted on his face. “But we have yet to sleep together.”

Vane’s face was ten times redder. “Look, I don’t have room for you to sleep!” 

“Your bed,” Lancelot answered nonchalantly. 

“No!”

And yet that was where Lancelot was that night. Vane was uncomfortable; Lancelot sleeping next to him, hugging him tight. Vane surely remembered hearing him say he didn’t need to sleep like humans did, so why was he even here? There was simply no room for two in a single bed, Lancelot flushed tight against Vane, and Vane flushed tight against the wall. Lancelot’s hand had already wandered too far that night, and Vane was constantly on the watch to nudge it back up and away from his ass. Still, Lancelot was warm, and the perfect size to be tucked in tight next to Vane. Begrudgingly, Vane fell asleep as the birds began to chirp outside. 

When he awoke the next morning, Lancelot was moaning in his ear. “Vane… Vane…”

Vane rolled over and slammed into the wall with a start. He groaned, before he realised how tightly someone’s arms were around his chest. He turned and stared at the accused, but Lancelot only smiled brightly. He was gorgeous, even after just waking up. 

“Why…?” Vane whined quietly.

Lancelot snuggled further into the pillow they shared. “Your body was warm.”

“Lan-chan…” Vane said with a sigh. 

“Vane…” Lancelot scooted even closer, but Vane was already against the wall. He cuddled up to his chest, and Vane’s eyes shot right open when Lancelot’s groin touched his. 

Vane stared down, bug eyed at Lancelot, who merely smiled back up at him. “L-Lan…”

“Vane, please…” Lancelot squeezed him tight. 

Vane shot up and out of the room, and Lancelot stared over his shoulder to watch him, a smile ever present on his face. Without even thinking, Vane barrelled into the bathroom and locked the door tight. He panted and held his chest, but he couldn’t deny how tight his trousers were against his crotch. Vane groaned as he sank to the bathroom floor, his back to the door. He held his head in his hands for a minute, before dying inside as he came to his conclusion. 

Frowning, Vane tugged his trousers off and glared down at the erection that Lancelot had caused. 

Vane was breathing hard, panting, moaning as his hand moved. He was trying not to think, merely be swept up in the wave, when he grimaced as he realised his mind drifted back to Lancelot. His soft, black hair; his wondrous blue eyes. Vane came, thinking of Lancelot, thinking of how it would be like if he merely let him take his semen. 

When Vane slunk into the kitchen, he was ready to go straight back into the bathroom. Lancelot turned round to greet him, smiling and naked, only an apron to cover his dignity. 

“Good morning,” Lancelot said cheerily. 

“Lan-chan, why?” Vane mumbled, defeated.

“Do you want anything to eat? Me perhaps?” Lancelot leaned forward, the apron falling open to reveal his chest.

“No, Lan-chan. I don’t want to eat you,” Vane lied through his teeth. 

“I want to eat you though,” Lancelot whispered. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane was thoroughly defeated as he slumped onto the kitchen counter. 

“Vane…” Lancelot was behind him, holding his chest tight. He buried his face into Vane’s back, breathing in deep, before realising: “You thought of me…”

Vane shot up, right onto the counter. Vane had made sure to wash after, even sprayed himself with deodorant until he had choked, but here was Lancelot, absolutely intoxicated to his pheromones. He stared up at him between his legs, his dilated pupils drawing Vane in.

“I can help you,” Lancelot said softly, stroking the flesh where his thigh met his crotch. 

Vane shivered visibly. Lancelot leaned against where he had stroked and gazed longingly up at him, lips parting in anticipation. He was almost drunken in demeanour. Without losing eye contact for a second, Lancelot leaned forward and pressed his lips against Vane’s crotch. Vane, who had just came, felt his cock stirring once more.

Immediately, Vane’s arms shot forward and he tore Lancelot away. “N-No, Lan-chan, I can’t,” he held him at arm’s length, and Lancelot smiled mysteriously at him. 

Slowly, Lancelot reached behind himself. The apron’s strings were loosened, and it dropped to the floor without a sound. Vane’s eyes automatically shot downwards. Lancelot’s body was as lithe as it was clothed, not like his tight polo neck before had hidden his shape or anything. Vane’s eyes didn’t have the chance to take in anything however, his eyes darting straight to the erection that Lancelot was cupping. 

“You can have my semen if you’re not comfortable giving me yours,” Lancelot whispered tenderly. 

“No!” Vane was off the counter and ran right back to his room. His mind was racing with lust, and he breathed hard as he slammed the door shut, sinking straight to the floor as his legs gave way.

Within seconds, Lancelot was there on the other side, knocking gently. 

“Vane,” he called.

“Lan-chan! Please!” Vane yelled through the door. “I can’t! Please!”

“Perhaps we can reach a compromise?”

Slowly, Vane reached up to open the door, and Lancelot was there, thankfully covered by the apron again. Still, he was on all fours, and the apron hung right down. Vane noted pink nipples, flush against white skin. 

“What… What is it, Lan-chan?” Vane managed to say. He cursed himself for staring. 

Lancelot crept forward, before finally sitting closer to Vane. As he straightened up, it thankfully meant he was covered again, and Vane’s eyes returned to his face. “You want to get to know me before we do anything, correct?”

“I guess?” Vane said. He didn’t remember agreeing to anything. 

“Then, take me out to a date,” Lancelot said firmly. 

Vane was momentarily lost for words. “W-Where?”

“I don’t know your area,” Lancelot said, his face serious.

“But I’ve never dated anyone,” Vane said helplessly.

There was an uncomfortable pause. Vane made to open his mouth in panic just as Lancelot opened his. “But you seem like you’d be popular…”

“Eh?” Vane was stunned into shock.

Lancelot pursed his lips and looked Vane up and down. “You’re not bad looking, and you have an agreeable personality…”

Vane went red to the tips of his ears. He slammed his hands onto his lap, his shoulders hunched up. “L-L-L-Lan-chan…”

Lancelot flicked his eyes up, and immediately decided to cross the distance between them. Vane was startled when he looked up to find Lancelot’s face centimetres away from him. “I’ll date you,” Lancelot said quietly, before he leaned in to kiss him. 

It was surprisingly chaste and lasted just a moment, but Vane still yelped when his lips were released. “L-Lan-chan… Please…” his eyes were squeezed shut. 

“Hm?” Lancelot was still hovering over Vane.

“Y-You’re indecent…” Vane stammered out.

Lancelot took a glance down before pulling his apron even further down. Even though Vane supposedly had his eyes shut, he shook his head frantically. Finally, Lancelot pulled back, not even commenting on Vane’s hands suspiciously positioned over his crotch. Instead, Lancelot took them into his and held them gently, surprising Vane into numb silence, his mouth agape. 

“I suggest we do something together,” Lancelot said firmly.

“Like…?” Vane was hesitant to even ask.

“Something we can both enjoy,” Lancelot continued.

“…Se-”

“Training.”

“T-Training?” Vane blinked. 

“Yes,” Lancelot nodded, proud. “You enjoyed yourself a lot yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Oh…” Vane stared at Lancelot for a moment, who stared at him back. It was almost possible to hear the cogs in Vane’s head turn in the silence. Finally, he said, “Should… Should we go for a run?”

“Is that what you’d like to do?” Lancelot asked.

“I guess?” Vane said quietly. He stood up. “I guess we should do this?”

It wasn’t hard for Vane to find some comfortable clothes for running, but Lancelot was an entirely different matter. Everything he handed Lancelot made him drown in fabric, his frown gradually deepening with each set of clothes he tried. He protested it didn’t upset him, but Vane had never seen him make such a displeased face before, and he ended up deliberately handing him his large clothes, biting his lip to not let slip his snickering. Finally, when Lancelot looked ready to sulk, Vane dug out some clothes he had been meaning to throw away, having shrunk in the wash.

Now, finally ready, Vane and Lancelot went out the door, down to a nearby park. It was smaller than the central park that they were in yesterday, but it’d do for this purpose. Vane stretched out his arms, happy at the fresh air and away from that morning. It was approaching noon, and the sun was harsh but Vane was ready to seep out the adrenaline from Lancelot. Water bottle in hand, he turned to Lancelot. 

“Alright, first to do a loop wins,” Vane grinned.

“Win what?” Lancelot said, face blank, still clearly upset.

“Well… Win this race!” Vane chirped, and he was off in a flash.

Lancelot wasn’t far behind however. Vane looked over his shoulder, but there was no need, Lancelot having already caught up. Lancelot smirked at him once they were side by side, but Vane merely grinned back as he roared to push himself further. Vane had said a loop, but before they knew it, they had run round and round until the sun had long started setting, and yet they were still brimming with energy. 

When it finally came to closing hours, Lancelot and Vane had ran until they were out of breath. Vane was gulping down air as he panted, when he looked up and saw Lancelot watching him intently.

“Lan-chan?” Vane said between breaths. 

“I was just imagining how you’d sound like,” Lancelot said simply.

“Huh?” Vane pulled his face. 

“You’ll find out,” Lancelot merely smiled and left Vane to his confusion. 

They returned to Vane’s apartment after, both too exhausted to even begin to harass the other.

* * *

The next time his LARP group met up, Vane decided it was best that Lancelot come to try it out. Lancelot had the same distant look he had that night, until he finally perked his head up and agreed to Vane’s proposal. They met at the same park Siegfried trained with Vane one on one, but this time, there was a definite buzzing in the air, now that there were dozens more to fill the empty space. It was amusing to Lancelot, for one who had lived centuries, to see humans cling so blindly to habits long gone. Civilians of this age wore shirts and jeans and dresses, but here were over a dozen of them decked out in armour, wielding swords and maces. If Lancelot didn’t take a glance at Vane, still in his hoodie, he could have thought he had stepped back in time. 

Siegfried recognised Lancelot right away when Vane came up to him. When Vane explained his reason for coming, Siegfried handed Lancelot a sword and automatically assumed a stance. Upon his signal, they leapt at each other. 

“Stop,” everything halted when Siegfried said so. “Here,” Siegfried tossed another sword at Lancelot, who snatched it from the air. “Your speed is impressive, giving you just one sword won’t do you justice.”

Vane’s eyes grew wide as he watched the pair fight – no, dance was more apt a term. Vane had already – unfortunately – found out that lithe, lean Lancelot was much more than skin and bones and muscle, but to see him in action was a spectacle in itself. They had never fought each other before today, but Lancelot was parrying Siegfried, blow after blow, as if he could read his body just as easily as he could read his own. To see this incubus clash evenly against the best of the Black Dragons made Vane watch enraptured, but perhaps the best feature of this spectacle was the way Lancelot’s eyes sparkled in delight.

“Who on earth is this new guy and why is Siegfried suddenly so fond of him?” There was a snarl that only meant the arrival of one particular person. 

“Pa-san!” Vane beamed. The duelling pair stopped and turned to face the vice captain of the Black Dragons. 

“Don’t call me that,” Percival snapped.

“This is Lan-chan!” Vane gestured towards him as the two came closer.

“Don’t call me that,” Lancelot snapped. 

“Hmph,” Percival crossed his arms. “Then, who exactly are you?”

“So, you’re Pa-san?” Lancelot stared straight through him and Percival scowled. 

“Don’t call me that either,” Percival said, simmering. “Answer me.”

“Then, I am Lancelot,” he answered as he pretended to curtsy with the ends of his vest. 

“So. Lancelot,” Percival said, entirely ignoring his mocking to glance at Vane. “You’re Vane’s boyfriend? You seem out of his league.” 

“Hey!” Vane piped up. 

“You don’t deny it?” Lancelot turned to Vane.

Vane immediately blushed right red. “What? No- I- I mean. Lancelot just lives at my place.”

“Like I said: your boyfriend,” Percival said, irritated that he had to repeat himself. 

“No! We just met the other week!” Vane threw his arms in the air, as if that meant he would be heard. 

“Vane, you’re dating?” Siegfried joined in excitedly. “I’m happy for you.”

Vane let out a frustrated whine and collapsed to the floor, his face in his hands. Lancelot was beside him instantly, rubbing his back. Vane took one peek up and flung himself at Lancelot, rocking him to and fro as he blared his crocodile tears out for everyone to hear. It didn't help his case at all. 

The meetup continued without any further incident. Vane noticed with a tender smile that Lancelot tried his best not to leave Siegfried’s side, following along beside him every chance he got. He was shining bright, starry eyed and adoring, and Siegfried let him be, teaching him as the newest of the group. It was an endearing side of him he had to admit, and Percival snapped more than once at Vane for not paying attention. As their meetup came to an end, people began to say their goodbyes to one another and slowly dispersed. 

As Siegfried turned his back to leave, Vane watched Lancelot stare after him, distant forlorn eyes like he was seeing a ghost in the same place as Siegfried – when suddenly Lancelot turned his gaze onto him. Lancelot smiled as colour crept onto Vane’s cheeks, eyes flicking away and back to see if Lancelot had noticed, even though he clearly had. 

“Were you watching me?” Lancelot whispered, eyes hooded, tucking his hair back. As Vane spluttered his protests, his expression softened and Lancelot beamed at him, the exact opposite of what he was before. Lancelot appeared radiant, the setting sun tinting him a warm orange. “Thank you for inviting me today.”

It did nothing to alleviate the beating of Vane’s heart. “N-No problem…” Vane managed to eke out when he turned his face away. “You wanted to see Siegfried, right?”

Without missing a beat, Lancelot hooked his hands behind his back and leaned forward, a smirk on his face. “You’re not jealous? I’m your boyfriend, aren’t I?”

Vane snapped his attention back onto Lancelot, and flustered even more at his proximity. “What? No! We’re not like that!” 

Lancelot took a step forward that made Vane step back. “Would you like to be?” he said, his voice dangerously seductive. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane spluttered. Immediately, he squeezed shut his eyes and slapped his hands onto Lancelot’s cheeks, earning him a surprised cry. “Stop! You’re embarrassing me!”

“Vane!” Lancelot tried to say, his cheeks mushed together. He clapped his hands onto Vane’s, and Vane quickly loosened his hands with an apology.

It was then Vane stared, red faced, at his hands cupping Lancelot’s cheeks. His black hair tickled against his hands; his blue eyes were piercing and bright under the fiery light of the setting sun. _Pretty, pretty, pretty_ , his heart beat, and Vane had to fling his hands off before he made a mistake. 

“Vane?” came Lancelot’s searching voice. 

A moment of silence stretched until Vane regained his composure. He stood tall, and put on his most serious face. He wasn’t fooling anyone, not even himself. “Let’s go home, okay?” Vane said softly, and Lancelot nodded.

* * *

Days became routine, and Lancelot fit into Vane’s life like he had always been in it. Surprisingly over time, Lancelot toned down the aggressive flirting from when they first met; but still, making Vane blush was an impulse he could not tame. He would walk around naked, pull silly pranks, but perhaps the best was when he pretended he could not feel Vane’s gaze upon him and then he’d suddenly turn round to catch him in the act. Vane would splutter and deny, but Lancelot knew how much Vane watched him. 

Lancelot had suddenly become such a huge part of Vane’s life that he was even pondering when to report he had a new tenant to his landlord. Upon hearing this, Lancelot came home one day with a matching pair of rings and proposed to him on the spot, and Vane had immediately denied any such relationship. Still, Lancelot noticed that he was wearing it the next day, and when interrogated, Vane had answered that it was because it was still a gift. It was Lancelot’s turn for questions, and he questioned himself on why he had become so attached to this boy seemingly over night. Perhaps there was no answer, perhaps Vane was like another he had known once upon a time. 

Vane was hungry one night, and was planning a late night run to the corner shop, when Lancelot had protested he would be unsafe. When Vane pointed out he would be fine, Lancelot was the one who stopped, speechless. Nonetheless, Lancelot joined him, and now, groceries in hand, they were out for a night walk in the quiet, still air. Grinning, Vane led Lancelot down to the park. Usually a place to be avoided at night, Vane felt confident with Lancelot beside him, and he didn’t want him to miss the place with the atmosphere of the dark. 

“Pretty, right?” Vane said, flourishing his arms upon reaching their destination.

Out stretched before them was a lake that marked the centre of the park. Usually bustling with people when the sun was out, there was nary a soul in sight in the pitch black of night. After all, the closed park gates did their job, and Vane and Lancelot were only going to be there for a minute or two. Upon the lake surface, the street lights danced in reflection, one of the only sources of light as the trees around them blocked out the sight of the city around them. They were two souls all alone in the world.

Lancelot took a look at Vane, smiling away, before deciding on his next step. It’d take a lot of concentration, but Lancelot focused on the lake, ignoring Vane’s surprised cry to lift out a sphere of water and drag it back to where they were stood. Vane was straight forward, and he certainly wasn’t hiding his absolute wonder at being able to hold formless water in his hands. Lancelot narrowed his eyes, and the sphere cased over into ice. The ice he had formed then shattered into crystals, decorating the dark night sky with remnants of glitter. The stars from above surrounded Lancelot for a second, but Vane had already been dazzled. 

Vane was giddy with excitement. “Woah! Lan-chan, that was so cool!” 

Lancelot took a long, slow blink and fought to stay upright. “Not really…” 

“But the water, and the ice!” Vane was sparkling. “That was so, so cool!”

Lancelot paused. He wasn’t exactly sure why. There was a lurch of his heart that he hadn’t felt in forever. To distract himself from the weight in his chest, Lancelot flicked a finger up and shot Vane’s hair with a gentle sprinkle of water. Vane shook his head, exactly like a wet dog. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane beamed regardless. “You’re so cool!”

Lancelot recognised this. He frowned, touched where his heart throbbed in his chest in absolute confusion and annoyance. He had assumed human bodies before, and they always did have these flighty little defects. He didn’t exactly need to eat or sleep or do whatever humans did to maintain themselves, but he certainly wasn’t immune to the falters of the heart like other stone cold demons. Still, he had fought hard against them, especially since that man had left him once upon a time. 

“Lan-chan…?” Vane started to approach him in concern. 

“No,” Lancelot held his hand up, but immediately, felt his vision wobble. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane dove forward and caught Lancelot in his arms, who only looked up at Vane, utterly embarrassed.

“That was stupid of me…” Lancelot mumbled to himself, as he realised Vane’s hoodie felt like soft clouds upon his cheek.

“Hey, c’mon,” Vane shook him gently, as Lancelot tried to close his eyes. 

“Vane…” Lancelot said grumpily, his hands clutching onto Vane’s hoodie. Suddenly, he perked his head up and looked round. “Did you hear that?”

“Huh?” Vane mimicked Lancelot, and spotted the approaching speck of light that Lancelot was glaring at. “Ah! I was too loud! A park ranger!”

“We need to go,” Lancelot said urgently, pushing himself out of Vane’s arms. 

“Okay,” Vane nodded, and pumped his fists. 

Off they went, and Lancelot was glad for the adrenaline from their run. He could explain why his heart was beating so fast then, especially as his eyes fixed onto his hand tight in Vane’s.

* * *

“Lan-chan, Lan-chan! Big trouble!” 

Lancelot was startled from his book as Vane came hurtling in through the door. “W-What is it, Vane?”

“Look!” Vane lifted the source of his troubles in front of his face, and it mewed timidly, dishevelled and shivering. “A kitten!”

Lancelot sighed when he realised it was actually nothing. In fact, this was a regular occurrence. His apartment complex might as well get rid of its ‘no pets’ rule, for all the pet food Vane stocked in his cupboard. Like clockwork, Lancelot shut his book and began their ritual to nurse the kitten back to health. They had practised this before: feed and bathe and take care of them, until several days later when Lancelot had to remind him of the rules and had to pester Vane into taking it to a shelter. Vane would give them up with tears in his eyes, like he was sending his child out into the world, until he’d find another orphan to feed and bathe and take care of, and the cycle would begin anew. 

This was the fifth cat he had rescued this month. The first time Vane had barrelled through the door with panic in his voice, Lancelot had mirrored his distress, jumping up despite himself. When Vane revealed what the big trouble actually was, Lancelot could do nothing but sigh: at Vane, and himself for being swept up in this hysteria. 

Still, despite the ridiculousness of it all, Lancelot found himself memorised at Vane’s dedication. Lancelot constantly had to remind himself that despite Vane’s bulk, he handled everything with the utmost delicacy. It certainly led to excellent macarons and meticulous housekeeping, and always, always to moments like these. Vane was permanently beaming or grinning, but Vane held a handsomeness of a loyal knight in these quiet spots, shining and bright, proper and prim. 

Today was another such day. Vane was happily stroking the kitten’s fur, now fed and content, and Lancelot found himself mesmerised by Vane’s gentleness. 

Without thinking, Lancelot reached out a hand and stroked his hand onto Vane’s hair. Vane perked his head up, smiling his dumb big smile, and nuzzled into his hand. As Lancelot began to take up both his hands in petting Vane, it began to sink in why exactly Siegfried did this so often. Vane had a grin a mile wide as Lancelot continued smoothing his hands over his hair, blissfully content in the attention, blissfully unaware of Lancelot’s thoughts. 

In a split second, Lancelot had made up his mind. He lowered his hands and cupped Vane’s face. 

Lancelot was suddenly so close. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane said, the smile on his face slowly fading as he realised what was happening.

Without even thinking, Vane had moved forward and pressed his lips against his. Lancelot was stunned. Vane had always been an impulsive idiot all throughout the time he had known him, and Lancelot had been kissed more times than he had eaten human food, but Lancelot was stunned, robbed of his voice. They had kissed before, Lancelot knew his lips, the way he looked up close – so why, of all things, was Vane initiating surprising him into silence? 

It was clear Vane had no idea what to do, so Lancelot was there, holding the back of Vane’s head, kissing, nipping, breathing in Vane. Vane had merely pressed their lips together, but Lancelot had pried open his mouth, darted his tongue in, breathing hard and heavy. Lancelot’s hands lowered, stroking, holding, feeling Vane. He wanted to pull him in, push him down, feel him up-

All too soon, Lancelot pulled back. Vane stared at him then, drool kind of still on his face. Quietly, he excused himself out of the room and Vane was stunned, staring at his back as he shut the bedroom door. 

They didn’t mention anything about this again: Lancelot too tactful, Vane too awkward.

* * *

“Lan-chan…” Vane began, and Lancelot perked his head up upon hearing his name. “Why did you come to me?”

They stared at each other for a moment, before Lancelot began to answer. Just like every other time Vane had something other than a smile on his face, Lancelot would pause and stop to look at him. He sat up, and pulled Vane into his arms to stop himself. “In all honesty, you were a virgin in your late twenties. I suspected an easy, desperate target but what I got was… you,” Lancelot said quietly, smoothing Vane’s hair back.

“Me…?” Vane repeated. 

“Vane,” Lancelot gave him a quick pat on the head. “Why are you asking me now?”

“I want to know about you, Lan-chan. How you came to be, why you chose me…” Vane lifted his hand lazily to pat Lancelot back, but Lancelot interlaced their fingers instead. Lancelot stared at their rings side by side in silence. 

“The first I can’t answer, it has been much too long… But… I feed off humans. Anxious humans are the easiest targets…” Lancelot paused every time he needed to find the right words. “But you use your anxiety about yourself to boost others. You’re braver than you think, Vane.”

“Lan-chan… I…” but Lancelot pressed his finger to Vane’s lips.

“I know. I know,” Lancelot said, his heart in his throat. 

Before Lancelot knew it, he had ended up spending weeks with this human. He hadn’t planned it this way, certainly had never spent this long on a target. He certainly didn’t mind his company. It was just that: days became weeks became months. They were a mere drop in the ocean for an immortal, and even though Lancelot knew what would happen – he could not stop it, like the tide of the sea against the shore. Lancelot had felt that pain before: long, long ago with a man that resembled the Siegfried he knew today, so surely that memory was searing fresh in his mind. Perhaps he was a fool, perhaps he was a human for far too long. 

One night, Vane was out with friends and hadn’t returned home, and Lancelot, out of habit, slept on his bed and found it too cold. Vane was back that morning, sheepish and with a headache, and Lancelot had spent the entire day holding him, refusing to leave his side. Vane barely protested, his head still throbbing from alcohol, and the two slept side by side that night, Lancelot holding him tight. He knew that night – snuggling against Vane, feeling his warmth, watching him snore – that he had missed him. 

All pretence was over. Yet, what could he do. 

The ocean was unstoppable, and the world continued to turn. 

It had been weeks since he had attempted seducing Vane. Now, he merely enjoyed being affectionate, even though he knew with a dread that his energy had been seeping away without him sustaining it. He hadn’t known how to approach the topic any more, now that he was used to cuddles and hand holds. Vane handled him without lust, only adoration and admiration, and Lancelot had began to accept that. Vane would smile, and Lancelot would soften. 

No. 

Lancelot knew full well why he hadn’t asked to sleep with him since developing this bond. 

He couldn’t bring himself to admit it though.

One morning, Vane woke up to a beautiful face he didn’t recognise. Lancelot’s face first thing upon awakening was now an everyday sight, but to see it strained and struggling sent panic through Vane’s heart. Lancelot could only bury his face into Vane’s chest as Vane began to fret. Changing his appearance had always used up far too much energy, and this time, Lancelot was unable to keep up his human facade. His horns were prominent, his wings were folded, his tail bobbed up and down in an attempt to keep himself calm. 

“Are you okay, Lan-chan?” Vane asked frantically.

Lancelot breathed out as his only response. His fingers grasped tightly onto Vane’s shirt. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane held him by his shoulders. 

“Vane…” Lancelot opened his mouth, and his voice barely creaked out.

“Did you sleep badly? What did we eat last night?” Vane probed his memories for answers, but found no answer.

“Human things… I never needed to do those,” Lancelot said quietly. As he took comfort in Vane’s warmth and felt how Vane’s heart throbbed, he knew exactly why he had started to do those things. For just a little drop in the ocean of time, Lancelot wanted to believe he was just like Vane: human, fallible, capable of love. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane kissed his forehead in desperation, and Lancelot tilted his head upwards to greet it. 

“Vane…” Lancelot mumbled gently, and Vane kissed him again and again, on his forehead, on his cheek, and Lancelot felt himself come to life. “I need… you.”

“Me…?” Vane stared at him, incredulous. 

“I… feed off sexual energy but…” Lancelot buried his answer into Vane’s chest. 

“Lan-chan… Then, um…” Vane wasn’t sure how to proceed, already feeling heat rise in his cheeks.

Hesitantly, Vane lifted Lancelot’s shirt, baring soft white skin. Lancelot was staring up at Vane, his eyes gazing into the distance. Vane’s heart leapt as he pressed his forehead to Lancelot’s. Lancelot moaned gently, feeling Vane’s breath against his cheek. 

“Lan-chan… I…” Vane began, but didn’t know what to say. Perhaps he just wanted to say his name, feel it on his tongue.

“Vane, Vane… Vane…” Lancelot was already panting gently. 

Breathing in deeply, Vane dove in. He tugged Lancelot’s bottoms down, and Lancelot visibly shuddered. His hands went over a smooth thigh, and then, he found his target. Lancelot moaned loudly, much louder than anything he had said that morning. Biting his lip, Vane ran a finger right down his length and began stroking. Vane flicked up his eyes, saw Lancelot with his eyelids closed, but he was desperately turning and thrashing his head into the pillow they shared. Faster, Vane went and Lancelot’s mouth was wide open to breathe; panting, gasping, reaching out to cling onto Vane’s shirt. Vane had never seen Lancelot like this, and taking the opportunity to stare unabashed, Vane was memorised by the way Lancelot was losing control like this: moaning, crying, rolling his hips.

Abruptly, Lancelot pushed Vane’s hand back. “That’s… That’s enough,” he said, before he allowed himself to pant softly.

“Lan-chan?” Vane said quietly, breathing heavy. 

Lancelot was stilling his breathing, but his cheeks were flushed. His voice had returned to a much more natural volume however. “I… I can’t let you do this.”

“Lan-chan,” Vane reached out his hand to cup Lancelot’s cheek, who tilted his head in order to meet it. 

“Vane…” Now that Lancelot had more energy, he stared quiet into Vane’s eyes. His pupils were deep, drawing him in. “…If I take your semen… You’ll… eventually…”

“It’s okay, Lan-chan,” Vane smiled at him, brushing his cheek with his thumb. Lancelot was melting at the sight of him. 

Lancelot pushed down Vane’s hand and stared at him. “I don’t want you to… to…” Lancelot was lost.

“Lan-chan, I trust you.”

Lancelot was lost in teal green. He was staring at his own reflection in Vane’s eyes, before he realised, in shock, that he was being kissed. Vane was rather clumsy, still had no idea what to do like last time. Yet Lancelot was weak to him, letting himself be pulled in, an incubus being charmed. 

Lancelot had to take charge. He brushed his hand over Vane’s hair until his hand was at the back of his head, and he pushed so that Vane was pressed further against him. With Vane so close, his musk, his heat drove Lancelot wild and he opened his mouth to sate his hunger. Vane’s tongue only made him want to taste him further, and Lancelot was devouring Vane like he had never eaten before. Lancelot hooked a leg over Vane, pulling him closer and closer until he was on top. He began rolling his hips, grinding their groins together until he heard Vane moan and pant into his mouth. 

Soon, Lancelot’s weight had rolled them both over, and now, Vane was on his back, staring up at Lancelot. Lancelot stared back, before he placed both his hands besides Vane’s head and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. 

“Are you sure?” Lancelot said, his voice steady.

“Yes, Lan-chan…” Vane was demure underneath Lancelot. 

“We’ve never consummated… because I…” Lancelot’s eyes were trying to search for an answer in Vane’s green. “But I… I…”

Lancelot was startled from his reverie when Vane reached his hands up to hold his face. 

“Lan-chan, I want to,” Vane said softly.

Lancelot breathed out loud as he felt his heart swell. “I want to make love to you.”

Lancelot started first on his forehead: a soft kiss, too gentle. Vane giggled and that set Lancelot off, who kissed his face until he reached his lips, and there he stayed. 

“Lan-chan,” Vane whispered, and Lancelot breathed hard. That stupid, silly nickname – and now the way Vane called him made him yearn to know what it’d sound like in a moan. 

Lancelot didn’t want to leave his face unattended, wanted to keep kissing him and kissing him, and yet his lust grew. Down his tail went, pushing Vane’s trousers off until they wrapped around his cock. His lips against Vane’s, Lancelot swallowed up Vane’s sharp gasp. Any further panting he made was muffled, as Lancelot continued stroking and teasing his cock with his tail. Vane’s hands grasped at Lancelot’s back as he moaned, nails digging into his flesh, creeping up further as Lancelot’s wings fluttered gently. 

Scrunched up this like however grew uncomfortable even for him, and Lancelot had to shift and shuffle his body down. A hand still on Vane’s cheek, Lancelot reached between his legs and felt up Vane’s cock alongside his tail. When his thumb pressed against the bead of precum forming on his tip, Lancelot moved, and finally, finally, Lancelot wrapped his lips around Vane’s cock.

Vane, who had never been touched before, threw his head back as Lancelot began. Lancelot was beautiful, and he was on his knees; licking, sucking, making Vane’s mind a general mess. He was growing with energy, the more and more he fed on Vane’s precum, and Lancelot that was once weak was now burning with passion. He had waited so long to feed on his semen – but that wasn’t what Lancelot wanted the most right now. His eyes never stopped staring at the face Vane was making: weak, red and gasping for air. 

His hand still on Vane’s cock, Lancelot breathed in as he used his lips to gently tug at Vane’s balls. Vane’s musk was strong here, and Lancelot found himself intoxicated. He had centuries of experience, and yet here he was, addicted to this boy and his every reaction. Lancelot kissed right up the curve of his cock, breathed in his scent, made sure every inch had been covered by his mouth. His lips nipped, his hand twisted where his mouth could not, and all Vane could do was moan and breathe. 

Vane came fast, straight down Lancelot’s throat, who didn’t move until Vane had stopped his spasms and he had gulped down every drop. Lancelot’s eyes were shining and bright, and Vane, his mind still numb, found himself staring into the ocean. 

Lancelot wasn’t finished however, and he crept back up Vane’s body until his hands were holding his face. His body flush against his, Lancelot kissed him, and made sure Vane couldn’t mistake how much he yearned for him. He started up a rhythm, grinding, humping; and Vane that was weak started up his panting again. 

“Vane, Vane…” Lancelot panted, but Vane couldn’t answer back in his breathlessness. 

Himself worked up, Lancelot rummaged in Vane’s drawer with his free hand, but found nothing, not even a condom. 

“You don’t normally have lube,” Lancelot said, not actually surprised. 

Vane shook his head, his mind muddled. He was breathing hard, hungry for oxygen, as Lancelot continued to roll his hips into him. 

“That’s a shame,” was all Lancelot said, before he dived in and captured Vane’s lips in a greedy kiss that stole the air from his lungs. He needed to breathe – humans needed to breathe – he knew that, but Vane was moaning, panting just before his lips and his breath was intoxicating. 

Finally, he released Vane, only to discard their clothes, before he looked down at him tenderly, fingers casually rubbing together to catch strands of Vane’s blonde hair. He was exhausted, and Lancelot stroked his cheek quietly, still bristling with energy. It would take a moment for Vane to calm down, chest heaving, Lancelot enjoying every rise and fall as he lay on top. There was something to be said about merely lying naked together like this, and Lancelot let himself indulge in that brief moment. 

“Are you nervous, Vane?” Lancelot said gently once Vane regained his breath. 

Hesitantly, shyly, Vane nodded, and Lancelot smiled sympathetically in response. 

“Tell me at any time when you want me to stop, alright?” Lancelot tenderly kissed his cheek, before looking up at Vane. Then, he dived back down and kissed his neck. “And likewise for when you want me to keep going…” 

Vane gave a firm nod, even though Lancelot was still nestled in the crux of his neck. “Lan-chan…”

“Yes?” Lancelot mumbled against his skin.

Vane moved his hands: one to cradle Lancelot’s head and the other pressed on his naked back, just between his wings. He pulled him in tight. “Please…” 

Lancelot tilted his head up, his hands pressed onto Vane’s chest, perched and ready to spring on his prey. Their eyes met, Lancelot clearly still hungry, but he had yet to move without permission. “Please?”

Vane pursed his lips, his cheeks growing in colour. “…Keep going…”

Lancelot closed the distance between their lips, feeling the heat from Vane’s cheeks. “Okay.”

He travelled downwards then. His lips went from his neck, his chest, stopping just above his crotch. There, he settled, just between his legs, and looked back up to see Vane looking back at him. With a little push, Vane’s ass went just a little higher. After flashing a quick smile, Lancelot parted Vane’s legs as wide as they could go. 

His tongue was quick, fast, lapping Vane up. He alternated between his lips and his tongue, and Vane’s anus grew steadily wet with his saliva. As Lancelot began probing further with his tongue, Vane threw his head back, his legs quivering. Lancelot was breathing heavy, but he did his best to suppress his own moans, delighting in hearing Vane writhing to his touch. His hands wandered, touching, feeling every muscle as they held Vane’s shaking legs in place. Lancelot began travelling with his mouth, bit and nipped at his flesh, yearned to taste. 

“Lan-chan,” was all Vane had to breathe to make Lancelot attempt something deeper than his tongue. 

Trying to not waste a second of Vane writhing to his touch, Lancelot engulfed his finger in his own saliva, just before he tried to ease it into Vane. Vane twitched with a jolt, prompting Lancelot to hold down his leg with his free hand. As Lancelot bypassed his first knuckle, he flicked his eyes up in time to see Vane, mouth wide open, panting and breathing heavy. 

“You okay?” Lancelot said softly over Vane’s moans. Vane could only answer back with some sort of half cry half pant, and Lancelot laughed brightly. 

When his second knuckle was proving harder to fit with all the tension within Vane, Lancelot rubbed his hand firm on Vane’s thigh to help relax him. When Lancelot glanced up again, Vane’s hands were pulling hard and twisting at his bedsheets, and Lancelot smiled gently.

“Hmm, that’s not working then…” Lancelot mumbled to himself. “Sorry, Vane, that was unfair of me.” He pulled himself out and returned his interest to Vane’s cock, kissing his tip before swallowing him whole again. Vane had already come a while before, so Lancelot was only making him hard again, mouth going straight down to the base of Vane’s cock before coming back up. In moments, Vane’s cock was slick with Lancelot’s saliva, and though Lancelot was still mesmerised by it, he quickly crawled back up Vane’s body to position his ass. With another quick smile, Lancelot forced the air out of his own lungs as he eased himself down onto Vane’s cock. He sighed to himself in contentment, and now perched on top of Vane, took the time to interlock their hands together. Lancelot’s eyes lingered on their rings, bought only to provoke Vane, and now Lancelot inwardly laughed at himself. 

“You okay?” Lancelot said quietly, even though Vane was staring wide eyed at everything Lancelot was baring. “Vane…”

Hearing his own name snapped him out of his reverie; his eyes darting from Lancelot’s bare legs, to his hard cock, to finally up his chest and landing on his face. Vane jumped, embarrassed at himself. “Y-Yeah, Lan-chan…” Vane stammered, eyes trying not to look down. 

“I’ll go slow for your first time, okay?” Lancelot said, rubbing his thumbs on Vane’s fingers.

With a long sigh, Lancelot began to roll his hips and Vane, despite himself, kept his eyes trained on Lancelot’s entire body. He already knew that Lancelot’s legs were long and beautiful, his favourite thigh high boots never letting him forget that, but to see them side by side, squeezing against his own torso, made Vane yearn to touch them, even if his hands were being held in Lancelot’s. With each slow roll of his hips, Vane noticed Lancelot’s crotch and again, that yearning to hold him rushed through Vane as Lancelot bucked closer, backwards, closer, backwards. When his eyes finally landed on Lancelot’s face, lustful and with a tint of red, Lancelot smiled radiant and Vane shrunk into himself in embarrassment. Still, Lancelot, with a simple laugh and as if he read his mind, gently placed their interlocked hands on top of his thighs, and then he let Vane’s hands go. 

“Please, be my guest,” Lancelot said, smiling and moving his hands onto Vane’s chest so he could lean forward just a touch. 

Vane swallowed. Lancelot was so beautiful. Up close and entirely naked, his skin was soft and smooth, and Vane gasped at the same time as Lancelot did when his fingers hooked onto his thighs. Moaning gently, Lancelot lay flat onto Vane, diving his arms underneath to hug his shoulders tight. It promptly made Vane realise just how hard he was, and Vane flushed in colour. For a split second, Lancelot looked almost demure, his long hair framing his pink cheeks, just before his eyes turned to look at Vane. 

“You feel good?” Lancelot said softly. Vane, stunned that his face was so close, took a long moment before he finally nodded. Lancelot smiled back at him. “You can move your hands.” 

For all the permission he was granted, Vane only nudged his hands up an inch, before Lancelot reached behind him and grabbed hold of his hands to slap them onto his ass cheeks. Vane’s eyes widened, just as Lancelot closed his and moaned gently, arching his back up and revealing his neck. 

“There,” Lancelot mumbled when he settled back onto Vane’s chest. “You can touch my tail too. Relax, Vane,” After a small squeeze on Vane’s hands so he could cup his cheeks, Lancelot returned his own hands to Vane’s shoulders and smiled. “Do whatever you want. I’m yours.”

Vane made to open his mouth, but all that came out was a confused jumble. Breathing in deep, Vane squeezed his eyes shut as he squeezed down hard, prompting Lancelot to immediately buck upwards. After settling down from that single jolt, Lancelot sighed and tucked his hair behind an ear, before finally continuing to roll his hips. 

“Vane… Vane…” Lancelot panted softly. Pushing himself up, he reached forward and cradled Vane’s cheek, shocking Vane’s eyes back open. At that, Lancelot knew he had fallen deep, and he collapsed onto Vane in a kiss that stole his breath away. He was breathing, panting, his hips still rolling against Vane’s cock, but he didn’t want to break the kiss, didn’t want to stop exploring Vane’s mouth. 

Vane’s hands roamed up, smoothing past Lancelot’s ass to hold his hips, and here, Lancelot took this opportunity. 

“Please thrust upwards, please please please,” Lancelot gasped, and Vane obeyed, his eyes still in disbelief at Lancelot on top of him. 

“L-Lan-chan… I-I…” Vane spluttered, his eyes on Lancelot in absolute ecstasy. 

“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” Lancelot breathed out, staring down at Vane and cradling his face. “Vane! Vane!”

Vane was moaning, shaking, rolling his hips alongside Lancelot, who only stared straight down at him, memorised, enraptured. They panted hard at one another, Lancelot never letting go, never tearing his eyes off Vane. Vane was a mess, the bed was heavily squeaking, but Lancelot held on tight. 

As Vane reached his limit, he threw his head back, his Adam's apple jutting out of his neck, hands clamping hard onto Lancelot’s hips. Thrust deep inside Lancelot as he came, Lancelot coaxed his own erection along, shooting his cum all over Vane’s chest. Their spasms shuddered to a halt, and Lancelot finally collapsed onto Vane in a tight hug: warm, sweaty, sticky, but what did that matter when he was holding Vane. He rested his head in the crux of Vane’s neck, listening to his panting slowing, and breathing out as he felt Vane’s seed ooze out of him. 

“Lan-chan…”

“Yes?” Lancelot lifted his head so he could look up at him. 

“Will you… go away now?” Vane was quiet.

Lancelot paused. He closed his eyes and settled back into Vane’s chest. “…I suppose I’ve grown fond of you.”

“I’ll feed you everyday,” Vane said, gasping. “If… If this is what happens.”

Lancelot smiled to himself, before he slowly sat up and pulled himself away from Vane’s arms. He stared down at him, a lonely expression on his face, and Vane stared up at him in confusion.

“You… know what I am,” Lancelot said quietly.

Vane nodded, but still he was confused.

“I’m an incubus…” Lancelot looked down, trying to find the words. “…You know the legend?”

Vane paused.

“Are you sure you want me to stay? You’ll die,” Lancelot’s face was solemn. 

Vane only smiled. “Do you want to stay?”

And Lancelot’s face collapsed, his heart in tatters. “Yes.”

“Then, I want you to stay,” Vane said gently.

“But-”

Vane sat up, despite his exhaustion, and pressed his finger onto Lancelot’s lips and Lancelot was silenced. “I’ll die eventually! I’m human, y’know. But at least until then, I’ll be by your side.”

“I…” Lancelot’s eyes shone.

“I’m in your care,” Vane said softly.

Lancelot only nodded. “…I’m counting on you.”


	35. Top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [PWP: doggystyle] Not too far into their relationship, Vane is nervous to take the lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write Vane topping lmao

Vane kissed his forehead first. Then his cheek, then his neck. There, he stopped. He nuzzled into him, buried his face there to feel his warmth, feel him breathe. Lancelot found himself wanting, arched his back to follow Vane’s hands as they dragged down the curve of his spine. His hands locked together around his waist, and he pulled him so close, so that Lancelot felt safe, felt warm. 

“Vane…” Lancelot’s voice was quiet.

He had stayed still for so long that Lancelot lay a gentle hand atop Vane’s biceps. Immediately, Vane detached that arm, wrapped around Lancelot’s waist, to entwine his fingers with that hand. Lancelot tugged gently, and Vane brushed Lancelot’s fingers with his thumb.

Lancelot could not see him, but he knew by Vane’s warmth that he was flushed bright red. 

“Vane…” Lancelot chuckled softly, used his free hand to soothe his hair. 

“Lan-chan,” Vane spoke for the first time since he had began. Just one arm was enough to go around Lancelot’s waist, and he tightened his grip. Lancelot turned his gaze skyward, and swallowed quietly. 

“It’s okay…” Lancelot whispered to the ceiling. 

Vane made a quiet whine and nuzzled his forehead into Lancelot’s neck, but it only made the latter burst into laughter. “Vane!” Lancelot smiled as he nudged Vane’s head away. As best he could, he turned round on the spot and promptly fell backwards onto Vane’s chest. “Is that better? What if I turned my face away?”

Vane rejoined his hands around Lancelot’s waist again and rested his chin upon Lancelot’s shoulder. “But you’re really pretty, Lan-chan…” Vane mumbled. 

Lancelot was thankful Vane could not see his face blooming into red. “S-Stop, Vane.”

Vane squeezed him tight, plastering him to his chest. “Lan-chan, you’re really pretty and really amazing-”

“Vane-”

“-and really cool and sometimes I don’t know why you picked me but I’m really happy because I really, really like you.”

Thump. 

Vane had planted his head onto Lancelot’s back. 

Gently, Lancelot laid his hands on Vane’s, tight on his stomach. “Vane… No matter how many times I have to say it, it will always be true: you have helped me time and time again… I would not be who I am today without you by my side. I want you to love yourself just as I…” Vane held onto him tighter then, and Lancelot swallowed down his words. Blindly, he reached behind himself to pat Vane. “I… trust you. Now, I’m sure this posture isn’t good for your neck, hmm?”

There was a mumble of affirmation from Vane and finally he loosened his grip. Lancelot turned his head as best as he could with his back still on Vane’s chest, and he cupped Vane’s face tenderly. 

“This is all still very new to us, isn’t it?” Lancelot chuckled as he stroked Vane’s cheek with his thumb. “Holding you… Kissing you…” Lancelot demonstrated on his cheek. “…Vane.”

“Lancelot.”

In that brief moment that Lancelot was stunned, Vane had moved forward. He joined their lips together, and Lancelot softened. Momentarily, their thoughts of comfort were lost as they kept their kiss, but all too soon, Lancelot’s neck ached and he had to turn back. Vane moved his hands, one under Lancelot’s shirt and the other was led down to his crotch, and Lancelot closed his eyes as he rested against Vane’s chest. He didn’t find a reason to dull the moan from his mouth as Vane drifted over his nipple, massaging him until he was erect. 

Lancelot held gently onto Vane’s hands as he worked him up, a fever burning and building. He was usually so calm, so collected, and yet here he was, every moan and gasp involuntary as he weakened to Vane’s touch. Lancelot’s breathing became heavy and warm, thick with excitement. Lancelot didn’t need to guide him any more; Vane’s fingers working of their own accord, massaging his nipple, massaging his cock. 

“More, more…” Lancelot turned and they met their eyes, both their faces a burning red. “Please.”

Gently, Vane held Lancelot as he moved him onto all fours, and Lancelot purred as Vane never stopped. In just one sweep, his hand had lifted Lancelot’s shirt and there it was: all of Lancelot’s bare back. Vane swallowed hard. Only the soft sound of trousers hitting the sheets permeated the frantic panting that came from Lancelot. 

“J-Just a moment…” Vane mumbled softly as he tapped his back. He stumbled over his own trousers, swiped them off his legs when he was stood up, and Lancelot shamelessly watched him, bottomless and rummaging in the drawers for lube. Their eyes met when Vane turned back round, Vane still shy as Lancelot smiled at him. It was useless, but regardless, Vane covered himself as he trotted back to where Lancelot awaited him. 

Vane then perched himself onto the edge of the bed, his back to Lancelot, and was surprised when he felt his shirt being tugged upwards. His gaze snapped backwards, and as he saw the mischievous grin on Lancelot’s face, realised he would have to lift his arms to make his life easier. His shirt was tossed to the floor then, and Lancelot’s joined it seconds after. As he applied lube to himself, Vane would feel Lancelot’s arms wrap around his chest, and he breathed in sharply as he felt Lancelot give him a helping hand from tip to shaft. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane said quietly, pushing his hand away gently. “You’ll get messy.”

“It’s okay…” Lancelot replied. Wrapping an arm lazily around Vane’s shoulders, Lancelot pulled back and by the increased frequency of his breathing in his ear, Vane had an idea what he was doing to himself. 

“Lan-chan,” Vane turned round, and Lancelot let him, so he could fully appreciate Lancelot using the lube to massage his anus. Lancelot smiled up at him innocently, and Vane flushed a bright red. 

Receiving the reaction he wanted, Lancelot returned to all fours, his ass in the air, and lay his head upon his arms to look expectantly at Vane. Vane swallowed, and climbed back onto the bed to join Lancelot. After one final quick hug of Lancelot’s back, Lancelot rested onto his elbows as he felt Vane’s weight upon him. 

Slowly, hesitantly, Vane inserted himself. Lancelot breathed out deeply as he felt each inch fill him. His fingers began to dig into the sheets beneath him, but not too long after, Vane had cupped his hands over his and he held his fists tight. A shuddering breath escaped his lips as Lancelot grew used to Vane’s length. 

“Lan-chan, are you alright?” came Vane’s voice from on top of him.

“Yeah…” was all Lancelot could manage. 

“I’ll… I’ll start moving,” Vane’s voice was meek. 

Vane started slowly. First: out, then back in. Vane could feel Lancelot’s fingers tense underneath his palms. 

“Lan-chan?” Vane whispered as he stopped.

“Vane, please,” Lancelot hung his head and sighed loudly. “Please.”

Tentatively, Vane regained his pace and Lancelot made sure to react louder. In and out. As his thrusting grew in confidence, Lancelot cried out louder, louder. 

“Faster, please. Please, Vane, please,” Lancelot breathed. 

His hips began to hit Lancelot, and Lancelot moaned, panted, cried out. Vane was going faster and faster, and Lancelot was growing ever more frantic. Vane’s pace was building, building, and his hands moved from Lancelot’s to wrap around his chest, to hold him tight, to hold him steady. This way, he felt every tremble, every shake Lancelot was making. He wanted to come, he needed to come. He whined, and moaned; he needed release. Lancelot became nothing but a chorus of ‘please, please, please’.

“Oops,” was all Vane said. Everything stopped. 

“Vane?” Lancelot’s voice shook. 

“Sorry! I just… slipped out…” Vane mumbled. He pulled Lancelot backwards and Lancelot, formerly on all fours, was now held tight against Vane’s chest on the bed beside him. Lancelot was stunned for a moment, the high still in his head, but he could feel Vane bury his face into his shoulder. 

“I-It’s okay,” Lancelot said quickly when he regained his thoughts. He patted Vane’s hands wrapped around his chest, because that was all he could do when his mind was still in his crotch. 

“Where did it go?” Vane was mumbling to himself. 

Lancelot chanced a look back, but before he could even do anything, a shiver ran through his spine as Vane pushed his finger in. Lancelot moaned and wanted to explode. 

“Lan-chan,” was all Vane said as he pushed his cock back in. He held Lancelot against him, and Lancelot gasped. 

“Vane!” and Vane was on top of him, pushing and pulling and oh so heavy, but Lancelot was panting more and more and he was in heaven. 

“Lan-chan,” Vane gasped, resting his head against the crook of Lancelot’s neck as he gulped down air. His hand was rubbing Lancelot’s cock, and Lancelot was left scrambling, twisting at the bedsheets. 

“Vane, Vane, Vane,” Lancelot began gasping to Vane’s pace. His mind was a mess. He needed to come, he needed to come. 

Vane’s warmth, Vane’s weight, and Lancelot came with a moan and a gasp. Vane had filled him thick with fluid, and Vane rolled over, collapsed next to Lancelot with an exhausted sigh. When their panting regulated and faded into air, Vane and Lancelot smiled at each other and held each other tight. 

“Vane, thank you,” Lancelot held Vane’s face and he was glowing. “For all you’ve done for me.”


	36. Hidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [PWP: semi public sex, frottage] Trainees don't have much spare time, so they catch whatever glimpses they have of it, even if that means quickly escaping into the storeroom for a reprieve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Lancelot/Vane as recruits, without their own room. This is actually inspired by one of my favourite LanVane artists, so this doesn't really follow my vague headcanon timeline of them dating only after Defender's Oath, but hey, it's also more PWP. Please look at their [work](https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=66565496) (nsfw), it’s gorgeous!!

“Here. Here looks good…” Lancelot whispered, locking the door quickly behind him.

“Lan-chan… If someone finds us…” Vane whined, trying his best to keep his normally loud volume down.

Lancelot only smirked in response, eyes glinting as he turned to Vane, “If you’re good, we won’t get caught.”

“Lan-chan, I still think it’s dangerous to do this…” Vane hissed, not even bothering to hide his pout. 

“It’ll be okay. I’m here…” Lancelot said softly, pressing Vane against the door, “Right?”

Vane didn’t have a rebuttal, merely producing a low, annoyed whine to clearly show what he still thought of that situation. Escaping from training because Lancelot had said he needed to do something had happened far too often now for them not to get caught eventually. 

Lancelot, however, would always say something along the lines of ‘I need you right now’, and Vane’s expression would soften. 

“Let’s be quick,” Lancelot said, right before pressing a kiss to his lips. 

In that cramped, dim lit storeroom, Lancelot bristled with excitement as he palmed Vane’s cock in his hand. They could barely move without knocking into something else, the walls packed with boxes and boxes of equipment; but that made it all the better in Lancelot’s mind, flushed tight against Vane’s body with barely any effort. He breathed out deeply as he watched their erections touch. At a glance, it was obvious who was the larger of the two, but it was all the more apparent inches away from him, stroking his cock against his. 

“Lan-chan… Lan-chan…” Vane whimpered, chest heaving. 

Lancelot placed a finger to his lips. Vane clapped a hand to his mouth, breathing hard and heavy, and Lancelot bit down hard on his own lip. 

“Here’s a storeroom!” 

“Shh,” Immediately, Lancelot slammed into Vane, pushing him against the door and listening intently outside. 

The voices grew closer and closer, and Lancelot could feel the rise and fall of Vane’s chest as Vane’s breathing grew heavier and heavier; and so, Lancelot drew him in close, cradling his head and soothing his hand down his hair. Lancelot couldn’t deny that Vane smelled wonderful like this, chest against chest, his legs tangled with his, almost hearing his quickening heartbeat as if it were his own. He held onto him tight as he shivered, reminding him that he was here, merely waiting for those outside to move. 

“Huh? The door’s busted?” 

Vane threw back his head, and Lancelot held on tighter.

“Think there’s another one down there…”

“Okay… We’re…” As Lancelot listened to the retreating footsteps, he let out the breath he had been holding back; only to pull back an inch and realise his chest was suddenly sticky and wet. 

Vane was trembling. Face flushed red, hand clamped over his mouth, absolutely covered in his own cum. Their black shirts were now slick with white, and Lancelot found himself mesmerised as his eyes traced along every muscle that Vane’s shirt clung to. 

“I’m… I’m… really sorry, Lan-chan…” Vane whimpered, as he lowered his hand from his mouth, tinged red from how tightly he had clamped down on himself.

“Don’t be…” Lancelot breathed, squeezing Vane’s hand, “I’ll make it up to you… Next time our room’s empty, alright?”

Vane made a whimper. The amount of times Lancelot had crawled into his bunk and drew the curtains, the way Vane showered affection onto him: how many times had they danced this line of keeping their relationship secret. It was dangerous to keep doing this; and yet, as Lancelot pressed a kiss to his lips and his heart fluttered, it was almost like denying an instinct if they did otherwise. 

“If we start running as soon as we open the door, we might make it into the nearby shower without anyone noticing us,” Lancelot said hurriedly, pulling his shirt over his shoulders, “You alright to run?”

“Yeah…” Vane said quietly, mimicking Lancelot and balling his shirt into his hands. 

“Right,” Lancelot nodded, and grasped Vane’s hand tight, “Let’s go.”


	37. Aphrodisiac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [PWP: aphrodisiacs] Vane brings home something from the market.

Sometimes established relationships needed that extra kick to their routine as day to day passed. So that was why Vane came home one day, proudly brandishing something he had got from the market that day.

“The guy said this was a really good aphrodisiac, Lan-chan!” Vane said, a grin on his face, “Wonder how it’ll taste…”

Lancelot hesitated, hands squeezing the covers of his book, “Vane...” He gulped, eyes shifting from Vane’s clueless face to the intimidating girth that was in his hands, “You know what that means, don’t you…?”

“Of course, Lan-chan! No need to worry!” Vane declared, already rolling up his sleeves. He gave a hearty pat to his biceps, and then, there was no stopping him. The pan was already on the hob, the chopping board was out, and Vane had already decided what recipe to use this mystery ingredient in. 

For such a wonderfully phallic ingredient as this, Vane had decided to blitz it up into a purée – obviously. It would serve as an accompaniment to the main dish for dinner that day: a healthy slab of a steak, cooked just the way Vane liked it. 

As the smell of searing meat drifted out the kitchen, it mingled with Vane’s delighted humming, and the words on the pages of Lancelot’s book melded into nonsense. 

Lancelot closed his eyes. He was certainly not imagining how Vane would look and feel and taste instead, not with this hefty book in his hands to keep his interest. He’d, of course, like to do other things while he waited, but Vane took cooking so seriously that they couldn’t get further than a few kisses before he had been shooed away from the kitchen, leaving Lancelot both impatient and unsatisfied. 

Thus, he played this waiting game, Lancelot urging himself not to think too hard about things before he became hard himself. Minutes inched by, until finally, Lancelot slammed his book shut with a snap. He shot right out of his seat and up the stairs, desperate to preoccupy himself before he let himself pester Vane again. 

The shower water that cascaded down his shoulders was colder than usual, but still it could not distract him from the thought of what awaited them both, that pooled into a heat in his groin. 

Lancelot sighed as he came out the shower and back into their shared bedroom, naught but a towel draped round his shoulders to dry his hair; when his eyes drifted over the room and an idea was planted in his head. Vane’s side of the room was spotless; the pile that Lancelot had left behind contrasting sharply to the rest of the tidy room. Waltzing right past this pile of his own clothes, he threw open the doors to Vane’s wardrobe. 

When Lancelot crept down the stairs, he first noted the odd absence of Vane calling for him. They had lived together for some time now, and even before they had been romantically involved, Lancelot was used to Vane’s loud voice, perfect for announcements of any kind. Even with the shower running, Lancelot had been able to hear him calling for dinner before. Instead, as Lancelot peeked round the door frame, he found Vane pacing up and down. As Lancelot caught glimpses of his face, he quickly realised something was different, and excitement bristled inside him. 

“Vane,” Lancelot called out, like a siren song. 

At the sound of his voice, Vane almost jumped out of his skin. 

“Lan… _chan_! Woah! Uh, where are your…” Vane’s eyes immediately shot down as soon as Lancelot revealed himself, and he had to sharply turn his head away into his hand. 

Lancelot giggled as he walked further towards him, elongating every pronounced step, “You’ve always liked my legs, haven’t you?”

“Lan-chan… Where are your clothes?” Vane muttered into his hand. 

“Why, they’re off, of course,” Lancelot said simply. He performed a quick twirl, and the ends of his oversized shirt fluttered out, framing him like a halo, “Do you think your shirt suits me?”

Vane glanced out of the corner of his eye, “Y-Yeah…”

Unsatisfied with such a meek response, Lancelot clapped his hands onto Vane’s face and pulled his head round. Vane melted in his hands without resistance, his eyes automatically drifting down past his own button down shirt, to linger on his bare legs. Lancelot watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed. 

“You… seem to already have been affected…” Lancelot said quietly, as he tipped Vane’s face this way and that, “Was it so potent that merely handling it would cause this?”

“I… um… had to taste test,” Vane offered as an explanation, “I didn’t think it would…”

“I see… So if you’re already like this, then…” Lancelot breathed in deep and immediately dragged Vane to the table where their food lay waiting, and pushed him down onto his seat, “Please eat more.”

“Lan-chan?” Vane squeaked, looking up at him. 

“I can feed you,” Lancelot said, plopping right onto his lap without even waiting for a response. Sitting side saddle in his lap as Vane stared incredulously down at him, he only offered an innocent smile and kicked his legs about. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane spluttered, but Lancelot had already picked up his cutlery, “I can do this… myself…”

His words fell on deaf ears however, and soon, he was staring as Lancelot, waiting with a smile, held out a piece of steak on the end of a fork. Vane pressed his lips together and sighed, before he gingerly let himself be fed.

“How is it?” Lancelot said softly, watching Vane chew for a moment, before turning back to the plate to prepare another bite.

Vane answered back with a murmur as his mouth was full, but before he had even swallowed, Lancelot was already eagerly holding up his fork to his lips again. He choked down his current mouthful and breathlessly said, “Lan-chan… It’s a bit messy if you do it like this…”

“Then…” A pause, before Lancelot turned back to the plate. Vane was sure he had watched him scoop up a mouthful of the purée into his mouth, but when Lancelot turned right back round, it clicked. He neared Vane, his mouth full, and held his head in place as he pressed their lips together. The first mouthful was thus a slow, gentle kiss; their breathing steadily growing heavier as Lancelot pushed his tongue into Vane’s mouth.

As Vane moaned, hands moving to reciprocate Lancelot’s hold, Lancelot shifted in his seat, opening his legs to straddle him across his lap. The small gasp that ensued from Vane was quickly suppressed into Lancelot’s mouth, but it was enough to form a smile on Lancelot’s lips, and he pulled back to gaze at his face. 

“How are you feeling?” Lancelot said quietly, as he draped his arms across Vane’s shoulders. 

“Good, good… Maybe… Sorry… Don’t get too close…” Vane muttered, his hands weakly grabbing onto his arms. 

“Why?” Lancelot said, as he pressed his naked crotch further onto Vane’s. It had taken a lot of practice for him to be able to hold his expression, and he watched stone faced as Vane groaned. 

“ _Hah_ ,” Vane squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in deep, “Lan-chan…”

“Vane…” Lancelot leaned in close and whispered right into his ear. 

“Lan-chan… Lancelot…” Vane eclipsed his arms round the small of Lancelot’s back and brought him in tight, “No. No… I can’t.” 

“Why not?” Lancelot said, as he squeezed Vane’s shoulders. 

“I don’t wanna hurt you, Lan-chan…” Vane said weakly into his neck. 

“I’m not that fragile, am I?” Lancelot said with a chuckle. 

“I… No… But I…” Vane sighed heavily, “I… I wanna do a lot of things but…”

“Tell me about them.”

“ _Hah._ ” 

Hands holding his face, Lancelot lingered before him, lips barely inches away from his, “What do you want to do to me, Vane?”

His breath tickled against his skin, as they watched each other centimetres apart, before Lancelot leaned in close and captured his lips in another kiss. He had begun slow on purpose, waiting for Vane to react, and as Vane’s hands began to ride up his shirt, Lancelot moaned in delight against his lips. A quick roll of his hips, his crotch rubbing against his, earned him another prompt gasp. It was thus retribution when Lancelot was utterly unprepared as Vane glided a hand down to grope his ass, the other still riding up his back. He whimpered into Vane’s mouth, arms tightening around his shoulders, breathing in hard as every roll of his hips made Vane’s erection more and more pronounced against his own.

“Lan-chan… Lan-chan…” Every kiss that broke apart, Vane called his nickname before he silenced himself again against Lancelot’s mouth.

“Vane…” Lancelot gasped, pressing his hand against Vane’s mouth for a momentary reprieve, “How… do you feel right now?” 

Vane breathed hard in response, his eyes not leaving Lancelot’s face, before he murmured a quick apology against his hand and hoisted Lancelot over his shoulder. 

“Vane!” Lancelot yelped in response, surprised at being swept off his feet, and watched the floor helplessly as he was carried over to the sofa.

Vane then gently placed him down, as if he weighed nothing, and Lancelot had to admit that hurt his pride a little bit. Still, whatever discomfort he had disappeared when Vane was so adorable right on top of him, leaning over him, concern all over his face despite his flushed cheeks and heavy breathing. Even in this state, he was worried about him, and Lancelot had to smile as he held his face.

“Lan-chan…” Vane said quietly, his eyebrows knitted together. 

“I’ll tell you right away if anything hurts,” Lancelot said gently, brushing his thumb against his cheek. 

In an instant, Vane was on top of Lancelot, pushing him down into the pillows, kissing him in a fervour that Lancelot barely kept up with. It seemed that Vane almost didn’t need to breathe, pulling back only to come right back in for another kiss after a quick gasp of air. Lancelot’s eyes fluttered open, watching Vane through his eyelashes, as enraptured with Vane in this state as Vane was with claiming his mouth.

In the middle of a kiss, Lancelot reached out to cup his hand against Vane’s groin, earning him a prompt growl against his lips. In the palm of his hand, it seemed he was larger, more engorged than usual, and Lancelot tugged impatiently at the waistband of his trousers. Immediately, Vane moved his hands from holding Lancelot’s hair back, to fumble about with his belt. The moment Vane had undone his fly, Lancelot wrapped his legs round his back, pulling him in tight so that his hand could better palm his cock, and Vane whined into his mouth, his fingers tangling back into Lancelot’s long hair. 

It seemed Vane was even more sensitive in his state, trembling in anticipation as Lancelot’s hand merely felt up his shaft. His thumb grazed against the head of his cock, earning him a prompt moan that sent shudders down his own body, straight to his own groin. Excitement threatening to spill over, Lancelot began to stroke.

“Lan-chan… Lan-chan…” Vane moaned between relentless kisses. 

Eventually, Lancelot’s hand slowed as he began to tire in this position, but he was definitely sure his stamina was higher than this. In between breaths, Lancelot let himself frown in confusion, and that was when the hand that knocked Lancelot’s away was ever so gentle, despite the fast pace of his kisses. 

“Lan-chan… I wanna last a bit longer…” Vane said quietly. The look in his green eyes was mesmerising, and Lancelot found himself lost for a moment, staring at his own reflection.

“Vane?” Lancelot murmured.

Vane answered by tracing his kisses down his neck, onto every inch of skin exposed above his collar, until he had to begin unbuttoning to reach more. Still, his movements were clumsy at such a frantic pace, Vane whining as he began tearing his own shirt apart. There was a small pang of guilt for the shirt that he had chosen, but he’d ponder that feeling over another time, as Lancelot helped him along from the bottom, until Vane had yanked open the much too large shirt, and it draped loosely around his body. Vane continued his kisses down that swath of his now exposed torso, all the way down to his groin, opening his legs up further to kiss the inside of his thighs. 

“Vane…” Lancelot breathed, closing his eyes. He was the one who had made Vane into this state, and yet he was already fearing he was at his own limit.

Without much room on the sofa, Vane pulled Lancelot’s body round, resting his back against the cushions, and kneeled on the floor in front of him, almost as if in reverence to his body. He draped Lancelot’s legs over his shoulders, and without wanting to waste another second that could have used to kiss his skin, Vane leaned back in as he pulled Lancelot towards him. Unlike his previous kisses, Vane was slow and sensual, mouth and tongue not leaving an inch untouched as he kissed along his legs. Lancelot watched him between his moans, Vane utterly devoted to kissing and sucking that curve where his leg met his hip, transfixed as Vane’s hands began to squeeze his thighs. As each kiss grew closer and closer to his crotch, Lancelot waited with bated breath, and with a quick little push, Lancelot’s ass was tipped forward and he moaned loud as Vane began to eat him out.

Lancelot didn’t watch Vane’s head between his legs for very long, the tension too much to bear, reaching down to his own cock and wrapping his fingers round, the sleeves of Vane’s shirt draping down his hands. Obediently, Vane noticed his movement and began to aid him in his endeavour, eyes fixated on Lancelot touching himself, kisses alternating between his balls to trail down to his ass again. Meanwhile, his breathing grew heavier, panting as he stroked his cock to Lancelot’s moans. 

“Vane…” Lancelot gasped, hips rolling against Vane’s mouth, “Vane…!”

Vane pulled back sharply, suddenly awakening, “Lube… Lube…” Vane muttered in a sudden moment of coherency.

“My… pocket…” Lancelot panted as he caught his breath, watching Vane panic around in a daze, before he pulled himself off the couch and planted himself onto Vane’s lap. His shirt now hung loosely off his shoulders, but after some fumbling, he was able to pluck the tube out and press it into Vane’s palm. He rolled his fingers over the little tube, before he clasped Vane’s fist gently with both his hands, quietly noting how small he seemed in comparison to Vane in that moment. 

His heart however skipped as he looked up into Vane’s face. He often shone with laughter, and to see his face so utterly intense made Lancelot melt. Lancelot had barely let out his whine, when Vane had already pushed him onto the floor. 

“Lan-chan… I really want to… I really want to…” Vane breathed hard, pressing their foreheads together, utter concentration on his face as he stopped himself from taking Lancelot on the spot.

Cradling his face, Lancelot whispered, “Please lose control… Don’t hold back.”

The kiss that came crashing onto his lips was eagerly met, Lancelot feeling his legs parting as Vane shuffled closer. 

“Lan-chan, Lan-chan,” Vane chanted feverishly against his skin. 

Vane’s entire size and weight was against him as he sucked against his neck, Lancelot moaning and whining underneath him, utterly distracted as Vane urgently oiled his hands. He was aching as he felt himself filled, nails digging into Vane’s arms as Vane pushed his length into him, until he began to move and Lancelot desperately wrapped his arms round his shoulders. His mind was already a mess before this, but as Vane slammed into him over and over, hands firmly gripping his hips, Lancelot threw his head back, urging himself to remember to breathe. 

“Vane, Vane, Vane, don’t stop, Vane, please don’t stop,” Lancelot panted alongside his pace, his words and mind a jumble, until his back arched and he felt his legs tremble, “Vane!!”

His orgasm flooded over him in waves, his mind going numb as his body fell back to the floor. He was vaguely aware of Vane’s weight upon him, his warmth numbing him in contrast to the cold floor, his scent overwhelming him; but all Lancelot could do was giggle in short breathless bursts, his mind filled with nothing but bliss. Only when Vane made to pull back and vocalised his confusion, was Lancelot made aware he was hooked onto him tight. Quietly, Lancelot watched as Vane caught his breath, his happiness flushing his cheeks with fondness. 

“Being spoiled like this… has been wonderful, Vane…” Lancelot giggled, his body wonderfully warm. 

“Lan… chan…” Vane gasped, forcing out the syllables of his nickname through his lips.

“Hm?” Lancelot stared up at him, brushing his hair back to gaze at his face.

“I… I’m not… going down…” Vane collapsed into him, a tight hug that encompassed his entire body, that clearly let Lancelot know what he meant. 

“Oh.”

For a long, long while, the room was filled with nothing but Vane’s heavy breathing. Despite himself, as Lancelot listened to Vane pant, he felt something stir within him again; but Vane was laid on top of him, and thus, he could do naught but bide out his time in his own lust. 

“Vane…” Lancelot began softly, leaning forward to kiss the top of his head, “Let’s… head upstairs.”


	38. Cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [PWP: food sex, light bondage] Lancelot offers to help in the kitchen. He didn't mention anything about wanting to lick cream off Vane's body however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe it took me this long to write food sex, considering these two.

“Vane,” Lancelot began, a song in his voice and a spring in his step, “Would you like me to help out today?”

Vane glanced over his shoulder as he stirred the dry ingredients in his bowl together. He barely took in how Lancelot was smiling, hands behind his back, body coyly tipped forward, “Huh? I got this, it’s ‘kay. You go do your work, Lan-chan.”

“I insist,” Lancelot said, already tugging the spare apron over his head, “I finished early today.” 

“You should go rest then, Lan-chan,” Vane said, experienced hands continuing to work as he talked.

“I want to help you,” Lancelot said softly, wrapping his arms round Vane’s waist and snuggling into his back. He leaned in close to Vane’s ear and whispered, “Or I’ll eat you up instead…”

Immediately, Vane froze. For a tense few seconds, neither of them moved, until Vane slammed his spoon onto the table and let out a long whine, “Go… Whip up some cream for me please,” Vane said, obviously deflated as he jabbed a thumb at the bowl next to the fridge. 

“Roger!” Lancelot chirped, detaching himself from Vane’s back and saluting. He scampered away, Vane’s eyes lingering on him sulkily. 

As Lancelot set to work on his assigned task, the kitchen was filled with nothing but the pleasant sounds of cooking: the tinkering of cutlery against bowls, the hum of pots on the hob. Whipping up cream only required his arm, so Lancelot took the opportunity to watch Vane work his magic. He had always loved cooking from an early age; but to see his face full of concentration, his jaw set, his head down, made Lancelot remember every reason why he was so fond of this man. 

“Done?” Vane asked, as he closed the oven with a snap. He brushed his hands off as he approached.

“All done!” Lancelot chimed, planting his hands on his hips. Whipping up cream was nothing for a trained knight, and even if he wasn’t as bulky as Vane, Lancelot was still proud of his own muscles. 

Vane quickly double checked for stiff peaks, before he turned to Lancelot with a smile that immediately melted away into confusion, “You got something on your face.”

“Hmm? Where?” Lancelot said, hands hovering over himself, ready to tackle the besmirching mark. 

“Lemme,” Vane said softly. A quick swipe of his thumb over Lancelot’s cheek, which promptly landed into Vane’s mouth, before Vane mumbled, “It needs a bit more sugar…”

Glimpsing Vane’s tongue after such a long time spent watching him was more than enough to distract Lancelot. He blinked himself awake when it was time for him to answer, “Right…” 

Vane was already one step ahead, sprinkling another tablespoon of sugar into the cream mixture, “If you just whip up that bit…”

A moment later and Lancelot had followed his instruction, calling him back over, “How is it now?”

“Lan-chan…” Vane frowned, rubbing his thumb over an even bigger smear on his cheek. Lancelot, having fully prepared for it now, basked in the attention. 

Unashamedly in front of him, he dipped his finger into the bowl and wiped it back onto his face, “I have some here too…”

“Lan-chan!” Vane grumbled, wiping the blob off his face even though he had clearly watched him put it there himself. 

“And here,” Lancelot said, while applying cream liberally to his face, “Here. Here too.”

“Lan-chan, c’mon, stop!” Vane said, grabbing hold of his face to keep him still, “Playing around in the kitchen’s dangerous!”

“I’m always quite aware of my surroundings,” Lancelot quipped back.

“Not the point!” 

Catching hold of Vane’s wrist, Lancelot lowered his hand to his mouth, “Let me…” 

The cream was only on his fingertips, but Lancelot had wrapped his tongue round his finger, pushing it further into his mouth. It was obvious what he was mimicking, as he slowly began to press his lips around his finger, but Vane stood oddly still. It was only after Lancelot had began panting and moaning that Vane made any sort of motion, sharply pulling away, his face bathed in red. 

Lancelot was grinning as he watched Vane, without another word, wash off the rest of his cream on his hands, his movements slow and deliberated. It was obvious when Vane acted contrary to his usual impulsive self, and Lancelot watched him, ever amused at his unusually grumpy face. Even as Vane made his way towards the corner of the room, knocked the broom there into hand and turned towards him, battle stance ready, Lancelot was grinning. 

“Lan-chan, c’mon, get outta here!” Vane motioned with the broom, his face still adorably flushed. 

“Two can play at this game!” Lancelot declared, dramatically throwing open the cutlery drawer next to him. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane said, his voice at the edge of exasperation. 

“Knives might be a bit much…” Lancelot mumbled, loud enough for Vane to hear. 

“Lan-chan, please!” Vane said, now at the brink of desperation.

“Aha!” Lancelot triumphantly brandished his weapons of choice: two wooden spoons, the ones with the long handles. He crossed them in front of his chest with a proud smirk on his face, “If I win, you have to do what I say, Vane.”

“Huh?” Vane pulled a face, before a grin got the better of him, and he was already fired right back up, “Well Lan-chan, good thing I’m not gonna lose!”

The two began to circle round, the air thick with tension as they eyed the other down, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, having sparred together since they were children, they had long memorised each other’s movements as if they were their own – and thus, they were at a stalemate. 

However, Lancelot had successfully planted a seed of distress into Vane, who was now desperate to usher him out of the kitchen. He anticipated the strike that Vane tried to throw, a swipe of his spoons parrying away the broom handle, knocking Vane off balance – but not enough to disarm him. His long reach still meant Lancelot had no time to dive in and strike, and Vane growled in frustration as he straightened back up. 

It was then that Lancelot kicked off his slippers and wiggled his toes about in his socks. He smiled triumphantly, as if he had done something significant, and Vane only stared in confusion. 

A feint towards his left, and then immediately, as Vane followed in anticipation, Lancelot made a running start, dropping flat and sliding along the tiles of the floor, between Vane’s legs, taking advantage of the broad stance he took whenever he swung his pole arm. Vane was shocked: staring through his legs like he couldn’t believe his eyes, and that was enough time for Lancelot to straighten back up off the floor. He snatched Vane’s shoulder from behind him and held him against his chest. 

Pressing the handle of his spoon against Vane’s throat, Lancelot could feel the hum of Vane’s low, frustrated growl. 

“I win!” Lancelot said brightly, as he released his hold and draped his arms over his shoulders instead, “You have to do what I say now, Vane.”

“Lan-chan…” Vane sighed, “I don’t know whether to call that unfair or…”

“You must use every opportunity on the battlefield. Analyse your opponent’s habits and use that to your advantage,” Lancelot said, ever the captain even off duty, “Shall we?”

* * *

A few grumbles later and Vane was dejected, tied tightly to one of the chairs of the dining table. In other circumstances, he’d have praised Lancelot on how secure these knots felt – if this was training, if this was anything other than Lancelot sat on his lap, utterly stark naked. He was hugging Vane tight, skin against skin, Vane’s shirt wrenched open, his trousers and underwear pooled at his ankles. 

“You’re meant to lick it off like this…” Lancelot said, breath warming his neck before he swiped his tongue over the cream he had planted there. 

Vane did his best to suppress the groan that wished to escape his throat, tried to swallow it down and grit his teeth in response, but he could do naught to stop his shiver. Lancelot moaned in response, a buck of his hips, to remind Vane of their erections pressed together. He had been agonisingly slow during the entire process of disrobing: long gazes, fleeting touches, every little thing to tease out the fact that Lancelot had his ankles tied to the chair legs, his hands bound together behind the backrest, and thus, he was powerless to stop him. The concentration in his groin yearned to touch, to feel, to hold his lover’s body sat agonisingly on top of him, and Vane clenched and unclenched his fists as he strained against his ropes. 

As if he couldn’t feel Vane wiggle about in his seat, Lancelot dipped his entire hand into the bowl of cream on the table, and slowly smeared it across Vane’s chest, taking the opportunity to trace the lines of his muscles. With all the time in the world, Lancelot’s fingers ghosted over his skin, ever so gently, to paint him white, and then, lick him clean with long strokes of his tongue. He had touched his arms, his abs, but it was when Lancelot had finally brought his mouth to his nipples, tracing slow, steady circles over his areola, that Vane opened his mouth in protest.

“Lan-chan… Maybe… not there…” Vane mumbled hesitantly. 

Lancelot lifted his head and stared straight into his eyes, “You’re right,” Lancelot said calmly. He slipped right off Vane’s lap, to kneel on the floor between his legs, and plant a gentle kiss onto his cock.

Vane immediately squirmed as best he could, but found it did nothing whilst he was tied up like this. At best, he could hop up off his seat, but now he was risking toppling over his chair; that was until Lancelot stared up at him and firmly held his thighs down. Not even the span of his entire hands covered the width of his thighs, but Vane was certainly feeling Lancelot’s firm grip on his muscles. 

“You’ll hurt yourself…” Lancelot said quietly, his pout _almost_ making Vane guilty, if only he hadn’t known his mischievousness all of his life. 

“Untie me, Lan-chan… Please…!” came Vane’s desperate whine.

“I can’t do that…” Lancelot said, before he leaned back down to attend to his cock, “So, be a good boy.”

Lancelot moved like he was stuck in molasses, inspecting every inch of his cock with his lips and tongue, his breathing becoming heavier as he focused on relishing Vane’s taste. In the lust fuelled haze of his mind, Vane couldn’t understand what he was doing, not when he was merely concentrating on his shaft and barely touching the head of his cock. It was then that it clicked, and Vane made an impatient wiggle in his seat. 

“Lan-chan… Please… The pie will be ready before you even…” Vane trailed off as Lancelot flicked his gaze up at him, hand still cradling his cock. 

“How long until the pie’s ready?” Lancelot replied nonchalantly. 

“I dunno… Maybe… Half an hour left?” Vane whined, his mind unable to concentrate. 

The moan that Lancelot exhaled onto his wet cock only made him more impatient, “That’s plenty of time to make you last then,” Lancelot said, and that was that. 

“Lan-chan, please…” Vane sighed, the thought of half an hour more of this teasing making him wilt. 

Lancelot only smiled up at Vane as he held his cock in the palm of his hand. He decided to further his inspection by shuffling to the left of Vane now, as if that did anything else. For this side too, he kissed gently up his shaft, communicating his appreciation in long, loud moans, his breath warm against his skin. When he finally, finally reached the head of his cock, Lancelot pulled back. 

Vane groaned loud, watching helplessly as Lancelot stood up to retrieve something from the table. He stood still, immodest about his nakedness, and turned back just as casually, as if he hadn’t just built up a fever in the pit of his stomach and was now making him wait. In his hands was a small tube, and he smiled as Vane noticed what he was about to do next.

Quietly, Lancelot applied the lube onto his hands. His blue eyes were bright and stunning as he stared up at him, Vane shivering as Lancelot’s hands wrapped round the girth of his cock, and slowly began to massage up and down his length. Vane whined at Lancelot’s teasing, his innocent kisses against his tip that promised so much more, his giggles against his cock that did nothing but make him squirm. 

When Vane’s cock was slick with lube, Lancelot planted one last kiss onto his tip, and finally swallowed him up. Vane groaned against the warmth of his mouth, his tongue lapping up the lube and teasing against his frenulum. He had used the flavoured lube they had bought the other day, a sugary sweet candy floss flavour to suit Lancelot’s sweet tooth. When they had tried it out, even Vane had to admit it tasted too sweet, but Lancelot was moaning as he pushed his cock further down his mouth. He was still trying to attempt to tease everything out, but as he got further and further into his rhythm, his pace began to quicken despite his best efforts, unable to sate his own hunger. 

When he had licked off all the lube he had carefully applied to him, Lancelot pulled back with a wet ‘pop’ of his lips, and breathed out loud as he licked his lips clean. He sat still in a daze for a moment, before blearily rummaging about for the lube again, and impatiently began reapplying everything onto his cock again. Less teasing now and more frantic, Lancelot dove into his groin as he stroked his cock, breathy as he kissed and massaged his balls with his lips. 

“Vane… Vane…” Lancelot panted, his control slipping away with every second. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane whined, needy and quiet. He reminded himself to breathe, and he exhaled, long and slow, his chest rising and falling, attempting to still his fidgeting against his ropes, “I can’t take much more…”

Immediately, Lancelot pushed himself up, halting all of his touch on Vane to seat himself on top of his thighs, to plaster their chests together and perch up his ass, and Vane only realised what he was doing when he was moaning into his ear. 

“Vane…” Lancelot moaned, long and slow and much too close, “Vane…”

The agonisingly slow ruts of his hips as he fingered himself only proved to him that Lancelot was hard too, his erection pressing against his abs, but Vane could do nothing about it. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane groaned, tilting his head back, “Please…”

Lancelot settled quietly into the crux of Vane’s neck, breathing hard as he held Vane’s cock steady, and pushed it inside himself. Vane breathed in sharply, the warmth of being inside Lancelot shooting straight to his head. He bit down hard on his lip. He could definitely feel the ropes chafing against his skin by now, especially as Lancelot began to slowly resume rolling his hips. 

“Lan-chan, faster… faster…” Vane panted hard, “Please… Please… Faster.” 

Lancelot didn’t change a thing, only wrapped his arms around his shoulders, to pull him close and snuggle into his neck. Slowly, he rolled his hips, his erection pressing against Vane’s abs, and then back. 

“Lan-chan! Please! I can’t take any more!” Vane shook his head frantically, straining against his ropes. 

A giggle and the ensuing breath hit the skin of his neck, Lancelot clearly enjoying himself as he planted a quick kiss against his neck and basked in his warmth. He moaned gently, like he was merely bathing in sunshine, still slow and steady, forward and back. 

“Lancelot, Lancelot!” Vane finally whined, ending his own misery by bucking his hips into him to meet his slow strokes. 

Lancelot gasped at the initial rough change, and then immediately sprung into life, grasping Vane’s shoulders tight, not bothering to hide his lust in his eyes as he held Vane’s face in his hands, not now when Vane was so lost in his. He panted hard as he rode the waves of his frantic thrusts, matching Vane’s desperate rhythm as he stared into his eyes. The chair legs clattered violently against the floor as Vane struggled against his bonds, but they were too lost in each other to even notice anything else besides themselves. 

“Vane… Vane…” Lancelot gasped, biting his lips to stop himself from becoming louder than Vane. He pressed their foreheads together, leaned into him tight, but still it wasn’t enough to contain his voice, and Lancelot pulled himself forward to bite down hard onto his shoulder. 

“Lancelot! Lancelot!” Vane was panting, the exertion of trying to pound into Lancelot while tied up straining him – and then a switch was flicked and Vane melted, his orgasm washing over him. 

Lancelot shivered as he felt himself filled, his own orgasm spurting onto Vane’s chest, and wrapped his arms tight round Vane to wait for the calming of their breaths. 

“You came a lot,” Lancelot announced in absolute delight. 

Vane couldn’t answer, his mind still in a haze. 

“I should tie you up more often,” Lancelot said softly, as he planted a kiss atop Vane’s head. 

Lancelot basked and preened in his afterglow as he held Vane tight, relaxing against the rise and fall of their chests like he was simply drifting at sea. It felt wonderful to be sat on Vane’s lap, filled with his seed, basking in his warmth – when the sudden ringing of an egg timer pierced their tranquillity.

Vane snapped awake, suddenly conscious, “Lan-chan, pie, pie!”

“Just a moment,” Lancelot said quickly, hopping off Vane’s lap and running off naked. As he approached the kitchen, he froze on the spot. Resting his hand on the door frame to steady himself, he could feel the sensation of Vane’s cum trickling down his leg. Lancelot breathed in slowly, already feeling another stirring in his loins, thinking back to how much Vane had released, thinking about what he would look like now, if he bent down and slowly traced his hand up his leg. 

As he looked between his legs to gauge Vane’s reaction, Vane wasn’t amused in the slightest. 

“Lan-chan, the pie will burn!” Vane yelped, actually managing to hop forward despite being tied down. 

Lancelot sighed, stopping his show and immediately fetching the pie from the oven. It smelled delicious, the success of another freshly baked pie, and as Lancelot glimpsed the sweet apples caged back by the golden lattice of pastry, he felt his mouth water. He realised he was taking a long while plating up, because he heard Vane’s voice, worried and impatient. Lancelot may have been delayed by having to clean himself up too. 

At last, Lancelot came marching out with the apple pie in hand, as proud as if he had made it himself, and not totally distracted Vane during the process. He placed it gently down onto the table, right next to the bowl of cream that hardly had any cream left. 

There was a small pause as Vane watched Lancelot cut out a slice. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane said slowly, “Are you not gonna let me eat?”

“I’ll feed you, don’t worry,” Lancelot said brightly, offering him a smile. 

Lancelot proceeded to take an agonisingly long time, softly blowing against the piece on the end of his fork, until Vane’s mouth had produced so much saliva he had to swallow it down. It didn’t help that Lancelot was still naked, every movement of his lips reminding him of something else. He was even tucking his hair behind his ear, exactly like he would before he would go down on his knees. 

Finally, after what felt like an age, Lancelot turned to him, bracing a hand on Vane’s chair to lean forward, “Say ‘ah’,” He said, opening his mouth wide as he neared with the fork. 

Vane obeyed him, still weary of his antics; but as his mouth closed round the fork, he was delighted to learn that his efforts hadn’t been in vain whilst they had messed around. Buttery and sweet, and tasting of Lancelot somehow– immediately, Vane stopped chewing as the fork clattered to the floor, suddenly aware that Lancelot’s weight was back on him, and he was kissing him, holding him.

Lancelot moaned as he began to taste Vane alongside the sweet tang of apple. His mouth was warm, Lancelot having struck before Vane had even a chance to swallow his mouthful of pastry down. He licked against his tongue, tasting the apple pie alongside the one who made it, feeling Vane pant as he tried to keep up after being caught off guard. 

“It tastes wonderful,” Lancelot breathed, pulling back to lick his lips, watching Vane swallow hard, “Like everything you make, Vane.”

“Lan-chan… Again?” Vane stammered, already breathing hard at the thought of another excursion like that. 

“I’ve not had enough of my fill,” Lancelot whispered, “Not when you taste as sweet as this.”

Lancelot leaned back in to deliver quick, little closed mouth kisses that delved into exploring more of Vane’s mouth as he straddled his lap. He moaned deep into his kiss, savouring the taste of sugar that was still present, enjoying every breath that caught in his mouth, until he pulled back, catching Vane’s bottom lip between his. Lancelot took a moment to steady himself, giggling as he stared into Vane’s eyes. 

“Here, hold still, I’ll untie you,” Lancelot said softly. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane said in breathless happiness, as if he wasn’t the one who had put him in this predicament. 

Without a single trick, Lancelot followed through with his promise, and soon, Vane could finally breathe without being restrained to the chair.

“Does it hurt anywhere?” Lancelot said gently, as he delicately touched his wrists.

“I’m fine, Lan-chan,” Vane said, shaking his head. 

For a moment, all they did was smile at each other. Everything was good, Vane was finally free, to hold Lancelot tight, to remove the rest of his clothes, to allow Lancelot to bend him over the dining table. 

It took a few moments for him to process what was happening, “Lan-chan… What… What are you doing?” Vane said quietly, attempting to turn back round, but to no avail, as Lancelot pushed him back down. 

“Main course,” Lancelot said plainly, tracing a finger down Vane’s back, following it down until he knelt on the floor and had spread his ass cheeks.

Vane’s reaction was immediate, as Lancelot moaned as he licked and kissed, fingers kneading into his muscles. Vane breathed out onto the table, enduring every sensation his mouth brought him, before he had to move to touch his cock, and Lancelot quickly intercepted, nudging his hand away gently. 

“Lan-chan?” Vane asked quickly, startled.

“Stay,” Lancelot said firmly, as he stood up.

Vane wasn’t tied down or anything any more, but still he obeyed Lancelot, staying laid down on the table as he felt his warmth leave his side. He perked his head up when he felt his presence was back, watching him as he meticulously cleared the table of anything other than him. 

“Good boy,” Lancelot said softly, laying on top of him to hug him tight. It was an innocent gesture, if it wasn’t for the fact that his hard cock was pressed right against Vane’s ass. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane murmured quietly, demure underneath him. 

“I want to see you…” Lancelot breathed, and his decision was made immediate, pushing himself off the table to flip Vane over. He was utterly exposed as Lancelot held his wrists against the table, and shyly, he shrunk into himself.

“Lan… chan…” Vane said, feeling Lancelot’s eyes drift over him. 

“Vane…” Lancelot collapsed back onto him in a tight hug, and nuzzled against his face, “I just want to eat you up…”

Lancelot pushed himself off of Vane, for the brief moment it took to use the lube he had retrieved earlier. To hear him continuously call out only his name, to pant and cry and moan, Lancelot pushed his cock inside him, and breathed out hard as he took in Vane laid out on the table. Vane desperately held onto the table, as Lancelot gripped tight onto his thighs, pulling him back against him whenever he slipped back. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane gasped, head feeling light, breathing quick to keep up with his speed and force, “Lan-chan!”

“Cute…” Lancelot muttered to himself, his eyes never leaving his face. 

Lancelot reminded himself to breathe as he pounded against Vane, as he stood over him, watching as he writhed, the fumbling of his fingers as they tried to scramble to get a hold of something against the flat surface of the table. Lancelot had taken the longest time to inspect Vane’s body with his mouth and hands, and now he could finally indulge in the sight of him at the height of pleasure. He was exquisite, a masterpiece, and as Lancelot’s eyes drifted from Vane’s blushing face, his chest laced with his earlier orgasm, his thighs tight in his hands, all the way down to his cock inside him, Lancelot was reminded that he was his. 

“Vane… Vane…” Lancelot gasped as he ran his hands down to catch Vane’s hips, to thrust deeper and harder into him. Vane let out a whine, rolling his hips against Lancelot’s thrusts, his hand finally moving to his cock to relieve himself. 

“Lan…” Vane’s voice was hoarse from moaning, his hand on his cock frantically rubbing, “…chan… Lan… chan…”

As his frantic fervour finally reached its peak, Lancelot hitched his breath as he reached his climax, stilling and holding onto Vane’s hips as he came. He suppressed his moan into quiet as he watched Vane climax as well, his seed mixing with what Lancelot had left earlier onto his chest. With an almighty groan, Vane let his hand fall back onto the table, panting hard into the air as he lay still and utterly exhausted. 

Drained himself, Lancelot slipped himself out and collapsed onto the same chair he had tied Vane to moments before. As he began to regulate his breathing, he had nothing but fondness on his face as he watched Vane calm down too. As Vane began to sit up, Lancelot was up and out of the chair, helping him up onto his feet. Alas, Vane was still shaky and he collapsed into Lancelot, and they fell to the floor in a heap of weak laughter. They held one another close, still sticky and sweaty, but Lancelot didn’t care, tenderly brushing Vane’s hair with his hand without a word. 

When finally they could breathe without labour, Vane and Lancelot sat right back up. 

“Pie’s cold…” Vane said quietly, when he found his voice. 

“Yes…” Lancelot said softly, catching his fingers in his.

They stared at the pie left abandoned on the floor, then at each other. 

Lancelot began to smile. 

Vane shook his head slowly.

“Dessert!” Lancelot declared, leaping onto Vane for the third time that day.


	39. Muscles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PWP/Body worship | Tired from a workout, Lancelot offers Vane a massage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt from curiouscat!](https://twitter.com/weisseflugel/status/991466217167826944) Thank you for your prompt!!  I actually can't believe I didn't think of this earlier jaklsdjad

“Home!” Vane announced the moment their bedroom door had flung open. Without wasting another second, he dragged himself to bed and flopped face first into the pillows. Lancelot trailed behind, calmly bumping the door shut as he placed Vane’s bag gently on the floor; nothing but a bemused expression on his face as he watched Vane charge ahead. 

Despite muscles aching, body screaming at him just to curl up next to Vane and drift off to sleep, Lancelot still told himself to keep it together. He had an image to maintain, after all. He never let himself slack when it came to training, and Vane never let himself fall behind Lancelot; so ultimately, the two drained each other whenever they embarked on a workout session together. They wouldn’t have it any other way, always striving towards improvement hand in hand. 

The bed dipped as he perched himself besides Vane, a muffled groan emerging out of the pillows as Lancelot ruffled his hair. 

“Would you like a massage, Vane?” Lancelot said softly, already petting him on the head. 

“Oh, oh, yes please, Lan-chan!” Vane shot up, suddenly much more awake, his eyes sparkling, “I’ll do you after, yeah?”

Lancelot paused to gauge his expression; but with Vane none the wiser, a pleasant smile formed on his lips, “If you take off your shirt…” 

“Oh yeah!” Immediately, Vane tore his shirt off, then promptly dove back – face first – into the pillow, “Okay, go wild, Lan-chan!”

Lancelot had to giggle at his excitement becoming muffled; but as he stared down at the expanse of Vane’s exposed back, all that escaped his lips was a long, heavy breath. Slowly, he hovered his hands centimetres over Vane’s bare skin, following the line of his spine down to the waistband of his sweatpants. He felt Vane shiver at the promise of contact, which promptly became a moan as Lancelot pressed his fingertips over his hips, to glide up his back, to linger at his deltoids. 

“Here, first… Your shoulders are tense,” Lancelot said, his voice as gentle as his touch. Vane’s ensuing exhale was as muffled as his previous words. 

Despite all intentions, Lancelot was surprisingly chaste, smoothing his hands firmly over Vane’s back and shoulders to warm his muscles up. Vane continued to exhale loudly, every pull and push of Lancelot’s hands involuntarily coaxing moans out of his mouth. He propped himself up off the pillow so he could breathe, and Lancelot took a moment to finally tear his eyes away from Vane’s back. 

“Does it feel good, Vane?” Lancelot said, currently in the process of rubbing circles into the nape of Vane’s neck. Vane’s hair was much shorter than his, but as Lancelot’s fingertips crept closer up his scalp, they still became entangled into his blond locks; curls that promised to be as unruly as his own hair, if perhaps he ever thought to grow it out. Lancelot tried to imagine what he would look like; as his fingertips kneaded gently into his scalp, as he watched the back of Vane’s head groan in delight. 

“Yeah… Feels really good…” Vane muttered, his eyes closed, his words melding into one, “Lan… chan…”

His praise proved true as Lancelot continued, his fingertips working their way down his body; and when so closely connected by touch, he could feel Vane’s breathing calm to a sluggish pace. He was wonderfully warm after plying with his muscles for so long. Lancelot could happily carry on for hours on end if Vane would let him, the sensation of kneading against soft yet firm muscles insatiably enticing – but then, he heard what sounded suspiciously like snores. 

“Vane… Vane…? Are you asleep?” Lancelot whispered urgently, squeezing his shoulders. 

Vane jolted his head up, “Huh? What? Where am I?”

“I’ve only done your back…” Lancelot said, his hands gliding down said back, to settle against his hips. 

“Huh… Oh, I see… Thanks, Lan-chan…” Vane mumbled, dangerously close to slipping back into slumber. 

“Vane… Vane…” Lancelot cooed, now rapidly patting him against the face, “Can you roll over for me please?”

Vane groaned, but nonetheless, he obeyed right away, “Like this?”

“Yeah…” Lancelot said, barely above a whisper. His eyes traced every inch of his exposed skin, “Exactly like that.”

All pretence of innocence erased, Lancelot breathed deep as he dove in for a peck against his cheek: a reminder to steady himself as he leaned over Vane, a hand against the bed to stop his weight falling on top of him. At first, Vane retaliated with grumbles of annoyances, his eyes screwed shut as he desperately teetered on the edge of sleep; but Lancelot continued his relentless assault of affection, trailing pestering kisses along the curve of his neck, all the way up to his ear. 

“Vane…” Lancelot’s breath ended in a nibble against his earlobe, prompting Vane to moan quietly, fingers tangling into Lancelot’s hair.

“Lan… chan…” Vane gasped, eyes finally fluttering open, as his body naturally rolled towards him. They met each other’s gazes, everything they had to say with that single glance; and as Lancelot tilted his chin up so he had room to kiss his neck, Vane moaned into a heavy breath, Lancelot’s free hand kneading into his pectorals. 

“Vane…” Lancelot whispered against Vane’s loud moan, a smile dancing on his lips. He hummed against Vane’s skin, before finally, he let himself taste the meal he had prepared for so long, his tongue against the crux of Vane’s neck. 

“Lan-chan, c’mon, I haven’t showered,” Vane grumbled, swatting at Lancelot weakly, “I’m gross and sweaty…”

“You’re wrong,” Lancelot straightened up to stare fixedly at him, blue into green, as he pressed his lips against his hand, his forearm, up to his biceps. He never broke his gaze, not even as he lifted Vane’s arm up, to follow up his kisses along his triceps, his elbow, his wrist, “Here and here, you’re not gross. Sweaty, yes, but…” 

Lancelot breathed against Vane’s hand, his gaze intense as he watched Vane stare back at him, his voice robbed of speech. They didn’t need words to communicate, not when their bones ached, not when simply straddling his hips was all that was necessary for him to understand. 

“You’ve worked hard today, Vane,” Lancelot whispered, leaning forward to follow his hands gliding up Vane’s abdominal muscles, to rest over his pecs. With a single movement, he squeezed against Vane’s ample chest, fingers flush against his soft skin. Vane squirmed underneath him, a breath escaping his lips; but Lancelot was soon leaning over his face, his long hair ticklish against him. 

“Lan-” His attempt at speaking was swallowed up into a gasp against Lancelot’s lips, “...chan…”

“You’ve grown so much…” Lancelot said, breathless as he raced to place kiss upon kiss all the way down Vane’s left arm. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane whispered urgently, his free arm grabbing hold of him, but Lancelot only turned – his smile, nothing but warm – to plant an intermediary kiss upon his neck, and pay attention to this arm he had neglected. 

“It really shows…” Lancelot said in delight, his hands unable to fully encompass the circumference of Vane’s upper arm; and so he laid his head down, curled up against him, and Vane could do nothing but stare, the roaring blush on his cheeks robbing him of his voice. 

For a moment, Lancelot stared back at Vane with a blissful smile; before his eyelids dropped, his breathing evening out. He almost fell asleep – when suddenly, a hand cupped his cheek and he was flooded with warmth. His eyes fluttered back open, watching quietly as Vane leaned forward, rolling his body over so he could rest his forehead against his. It was always clear their bodies differed in size when Vane towered over him like this, cradling him close, legs tangled with his. 

“Vane…” Lancelot murmured, putting his hand upon his, smaller in contrast, “To have a body like yours…”

“Lan-chan…” Vane said quietly, moving his hand to tuck his hair behind his ear, “You’re no slouch either…”

“Vane…” Lancelot flicked his eyes down, only to be greeted with Vane’s chest, “Please let me praise you…” He squeezed against Vane’s hand before trailing down, fingers stroking down his wrist, his forearm, “To think you used to be so much smaller than me…”

Lancelot leaned forward to engulf himself in the warmth of Vane’s frame, hand falling down to his torso, fingers brushing against Vane’s abdominal muscles to settle against the waistband of his sweatpants. A simple tug on the drawstring loosened the fabric, and Lancelot immediately pulled down his waistband to reveal his thigh. 

Alas, lying on his side made this endeavour difficult, and Vane breathed hard as he clasped his hand around Lancelot’s to help him disrobe. Quietly, Vane held Lancelot against him as he rolled over onto his back, and without a word, Lancelot knew to continue the gesture, propping up Vane’s legs to peel his bottoms off. Vane lay demure underneath him, a blush capturing his cheeks, as Lancelot parted his legs to settle his hand against Vane’s broad thigh, entirely ignoring his half hard cock. 

Lancelot reminded himself to breathe as he traced his fingers down the inside of Vane’s thigh, hesitating at the seam where his leg met his groin; but, with all the restraint in the world, he instead circled round and ghosted his touch along the outside as well. Vane’s shaky breath, his arousal in clear sight, was much too obvious to ignore now; so the yelp that Vane emitted as Lancelot suddenly gripped tight against Vane’s thighs was all too enjoyable to hear. 

After a quick glance at Vane, Lancelot lowered himself in reverence, down between Vane’s legs. He thumbed the crease of his groin, a twitch of his legs proving to him how sensitive he was; and licked a line up that weak point, a strangled cry making him end his tasting with a rough kiss against his skin. The tang of his sweat against his tongue, the heat of his body all lingered, and yet he craved more, his fingers tight against Vane’s muscles. He was breathless as he rushed his kisses up Vane’s thigh, slowing upon reaching his calf, to sit up and look upon Vane’s body before him. 

There was barely a second of thought before Lancelot leaned back in to kiss Vane’s legs again, following up a trail past his groin, against his abs. He pulled him flush against him, as Lancelot leaned over, spreading his legs round his seated form before planting his hands just above his shoulders. 

“Vane…” Lancelot called, his voice needy and desperate, “You look so good…”

Vane didn’t have a chance to answer; not with Lancelot coming down, crashing a kiss against his lips, pressing his weight against him. The bed dipped as his knees pressed into the covers they laid upon, Lancelot’s hands now squeezing tight against Vane’s pecs. 

“Lan… chan…” Vane gasped when his lips were finally freed, hands grasping at Lancelot’s as he thumbed against his nipples. 

“You feel so good… Everything… about your body is… wonderful…” Lancelot whined, a torrent of praise let loose, whenever his lips left Vane’s skin between his barrage of kisses, “Vane… Please listen to me…”

Even for the brief moment it took for Lancelot to lower his own sweatpants and lube up his cock in a flurry of impatient movement, Lancelot never let a second pass without some form of admiration of Vane’s body coming out of his lips. From fluttering kisses to glowing praise, Vane was silenced into embarrassment, until it broke with an almighty cry as Lancelot penetrated deep inside him. 

“Vane, Vane, Vane…” Lancelot chanted under his breath, squeezing Vane’s larger body tight against his, determined to plaster his body against Vane’s as close as humanly possible. He could feel Vane’s legs tighten around him with every thrust, every slam of his body against his, his breathing quickening into a pant. 

“Lan-chan… Lan-chan…” Vane’s gasps were loud in contrast to Lancelot, arms wrapped tight against his lithe body, head thrown back just so he could breathe. 

“Vane!” Lancelot gasped as he watched Vane’s face, as he felt his legs constrict around his back, his arms tightening around his shoulders, his body convulsing. He muffled his moan into him as he gripped Vane’s body tight, buried as deep as he could, his climax finally washing over him in relief. They were already sticky and warm before they had even began, Lancelot idly noting Vane’s seed spilling between them; but as Lancelot collapsed over to his side and brought Vane along with him, he didn’t make a single move to tear himself away from Vane’s vice grip. 

“Vane… I’m… so very glad you’ve given me… this gift you’ve been blessed with…” Lancelot said in a breathless voice, eyelids heavy with exhaustion. 

“Lan… chan…” Vane only managed to pant back, rolling his body over in order to drape an arm over Lancelot.

Their quickened breathing soon began to soften as they watched one another quietly; but with Vane’s weight and warmth upon him, Lancelot felt the cocoon of sleep threaten to take hold. His legs tangled with his, wrapped tight in his hold, and with Vane’s arm as his pillow, Lancelot drifted off to sleep as Vane’s eyes dropped along with his.


	40. Saliva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PWP/Oral fixation (deepthroating, snowballing, gag), light bondage | Vane watches Lancelot perform a demonstration on proper sword care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about Lancelot's New Year skin: [Azure Haori](https://gbf.wiki/Lancelot#Outfits). You can match him with SSR Vane's [uncap pose](https://gbf.wiki/Vane_\(SSR\)#2nd%20Art), so that they both shower down [sakura petals](https://twitter.com/weisseflugel/status/965383251811618817) on the victory screen.

“So, how do I look?” Lancelot asked, positively glowing with excitement. 

Sat down in Lancelot’s makeshift armoury and jittery with anticipation, Vane lowered his hands he had placed over his eyes. As Vane stared back with his mouth agape, Lancelot had to smile, his face brightening with a laugh.

“Just like a real samurai!” Vane cheered, clapping so enthusiastically that Lancelot’s cheeks began to bloom pink. 

“Vane… That’s awfully flattering of you…” Lancelot whispered, curling a strand of his hair round his finger.

“I’m not lying though! Blue is such a good colour on you, Lan-chan! Brings out your eyes,” Vane said, grinning as he propped his head up with his hands.

Lancelot had to grin back as he silently challenged Vane to a staring contest; until he was the one that broke in a fit of bubbly laughter, and he clapped his hands onto Vane’s cheeks instead, “Anyway! I was going to wear this to demonstrate something for you, wasn’t I?”

“Oh yeah! Almost forgot. I’d be happy just looking at you all day though, Lan-chan…” Vane said, his voice softening as he gazed at him.

“Vane…” Lancelot said, his inflection of a warning tempered by his smile. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll be good! I’m all eyes and ears and everything else!” Vane said, bouncing in his seat. Lancelot knew he had waited long enough; he had tried desperately to dress himself quickly, without asking for help in case it spoiled the surprise, but it had still taken him a while struggling with all the ties and overlapping pieces. 

“Vane, your mood today is…” Lancelot said, a hint of amusement in his expression.

“I can’t help it! You look so good, Lan-chan!” Vane said, trying to keep his hands within his own lap. 

Lancelot took the opportunity to lean forward and peck Vane on the cheek, “That’s all you’re getting for now,” Lancelot grinned wide as Vane pouted, “Now, without delay."

Sat across from each other upon the floor of their spare room-cum-(enough clutter here to become an) armoury, Lancelot laid out all the tools necessary for sword maintenance. Katanas were a different beast of their own compared to his usual twin swords, and there was something to be said about dressing up in traditional dress for sword maintenance, especially when he was demonstrating for Vane. The vivid azure of his haori was meant to ring in the new year, but Lancelot supposed this was somewhat like dressing up in lingerie for a special someone – it was just his version, his ‘mind always thinking about training’ version of lingerie. 

Before he began, he lifted a piece of paper near his lips, “This paper is meant to prevent moisture from one’s mouth from coming into contact with the sword,” Lancelot explained, “You’ll be a short distance away so you technically don’t need one…”

“Well, don’t want ya feeling left out, I’ll put one in too!” Vane chirped brightly. 

“You don’t…” However Lancelot trailed off to watch Vane quietly, who was already in the process of placing a piece of paper into his mouth.

“Like ‘is?” Vane mumbled with his mouth full, causing the paper to flap with his lips. 

Lancelot spluttered out a laugh, “Exactly like that!” He joined him much more gracefully, slipping the red piece of paper between his lips, and looked up at his matching partner.

“Fee’ing ‘ike-” Vane started to say, until the paper promptly dropped out of his mouth and he had to flail to catch the slippery fiend, “No!”

Lancelot’s ensuing laugh spat his own paper right out, “Vane, Vane! You shouldn’t talk with your mouth full!” 

“I can totally do it! My mouth’s big enough!” Vane proclaimed, immediately shoving his paper back in, “‘eah!”

It answered Vane’s claim by immediately escaping, and Lancelot burst into another fit of laughter. 

“No, no! Like this, Vane!” Lancelot said, shining with laughter, as he pressed his lips together. The paper followed along with his movements, flapping open and closed like it was a beak instead of a mere piece of paper.

“Oh…” Vane said, nodding as he mimicked him.

They began to mime ‘talking’ to each other, using their mouths to move their papers; until one look between them caused them to burst into such laughter that they had to pluck them from their mouths.

“Oh Vane, you distract me so much…” Lancelot said, his chest heaving as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Especially when you’re about to do a special attack and I shout about how cool you are?” Vane said, a knowing grin on his face.

“That’s exactly what I mean!” Lancelot said, before quickly placing the paper back into his mouth, “Even ‘ike ‘is?”

“Yup,” Vane said, suddenly coming forward to chomp onto Lancelot’s paper.

They stayed fixed to the spot, inches away from each other, lips separated only by a piece of paper. Lancelot didn’t move, staring again into Vane’s eyes unblinkingly, and Vane challenged him back without a word. 

They let go at the same time, the paper floating down to the floor all but ignored; as Lancelot leaned forward to snatch up Vane’s lips. The ensuing kiss was fast and desperate, Lancelot moaning into Vane’s mouth, and ended just as quick. 

“Right. Where was I?” Lancelot said, adjusting the lapels of his haori. 

“The paper bit,” Vane promptly answered.

“Yes, that’s right,” Lancelot said, nodding, “Now, let’s begin.”

Without further ado, Lancelot segued straight into his demonstration, placing the paper back between his lips before unsheathing the first katana. He kept his eyes focused on his blade, in proper reverence to the tools that kept him alive on the battlefield. As he had explained, the paper stopped his mouth; and Vane watched, obediently silent, in sheer awe at the delicate precision of Lancelot’s hands as he took care of his blade. He was lost in his own world, moving through routine movements like clockwork: careful, meticulous and precise; cloth, uchiko ball and oil. When Lancelot was finished, he sheathed the katana back into its saya, returning it to its rest, and promptly moved onto the next: cloth, uchiko ball and oil.

When Lancelot was finished and his katanas were back on the floor beside him, he breathed a sigh of relief and removed the paper from his lips, returning back to the room for his gaze to fall onto Vane, who still remained transfixed to the spot. He watched Vane for a moment, pursing his lips to stop the smile that wanted to creep out.

Quietly, Lancelot approached, crawling across the distance between them, to lean in against Vane, “You’re… distracted… aren’t you?”

“W-What do you mean, Lan-chan?” Vane stammered, his smile fixed on his face. 

Lancelot sighed in response, leaning forward to peck his cheek, “I’ve known you too long to know when you’re hiding something, Vane,” Lancelot said firmly, “Tell me… What distracted you?”

Vane paused as if to contemplate, before his eyes and voice softened, “You’re… beautiful…”

Lancelot flushed bright red immediately, “That’s…” He plopped back down onto the floor and fiddled with his haori, “Oh, Vane…”

“Lan-chan!” Vane chirped, now the one to lean forward. 

“We’re not in public, and yet, you still do this to me!” Lancelot said, his hand covering his furious blush. 

“Lan-chan!” Vane called, nudging into him, “Cute!”

“No, Vane!” Lancelot yelled, just as he felt Vane’s arms wrap around him.

In a burst of cheerful laughter, Vane tackled Lancelot to the floor, hugging him tight to his chest. Lancelot was momentarily stunned at the impact, eyes wide as Vane nuzzled against his cheek; until he softened and closed his eyes. 

“Vane…” Lancelot whispered.

“You’re really cool, Lan-chan… and kind and beautiful and…” Vane said softly, sweeping Lancelot’s hair behind his ear.

“Vane, you’ll run out of adjectives soon…” Lancelot mumbled, his face reddening with each word.

“…strong – nope – and clever and-”

“I’m going to have do this now,” Lancelot declared loudly over Vane’s voice.

Lancelot caught Vane in the middle of his breath, lips against his, eyes staring into green. Vane actually attempted to continue talking; so Lancelot rolled his body against his, cradling his head as he parted his lips with his tongue. He was delighted when he heard Vane moan, welcoming the shiver a heavy kiss brought to Vane, breathing hard as he felt Vane’s hands land upon his waist. It was still a surprise when his hands weaved through the gaps at the hips of his hakama and gently cupped his ass; a gasp into Vane’s mouth as he pulled away quickly.

“H-Here? Where all my weapons are?” Lancelot said, his words stuttering over one another. 

“They can’t watch, can they?” Vane asked, so sincerely that Lancelot actually wasn’t sure if he was being serious. 

“Well no, but…” Lancelot trailed off. 

“You don’t want to get them dirty, right?” Vane asked softly, a gentle smile to pair with his voice. 

Lancelot pursed his lips and nodded, trying to come up with a solution; before his eyes lit up as he stumbled upon an idea, “If you cover my mouth…”

“Huh? But what about me?” Vane said, furrowing his brow.

“If you keep your mouth on me…” Lancelot said, musing out loud, “It’ll also be like a gag, right?”

“Huh… I guess… you’re right…” Vane said, chewing out his words slowly.

“Then…” Lancelot whispered, his eyes flicking back to Vane inches away, “I leave things to you…”

“Lan-chan!” Vane said loudly, knocking his forehead against his, “Before you do anything… Lemme kiss you before I can’t for a while.”

Lancelot could feel his cheeks burn, “This is what I mean, Vane… Sometimes, you’re just…” His heart fluttered as Vane neared, his voice fading into a whisper, “…so…”

His remaining words faded into a moan, Vane closing the short distance between their lips. Lancelot breathed hard, even as Vane continued at an agonisingly slow pace, gentle and soft despite all the build up so far. He whined as Vane stopped for a temporary breath, Vane coming back in harder, faster, pushing Lancelot further against his chest. He gasped as Vane parted his lips with his tongue, hands pulling at the back of his shirt as he rolled his hips into Vane, feeling the bulge of his erection against his. He closed his eyes as he breathed out loud, letting Vane knock him over onto his back and straddle his waist. 

As Vane tugged his shirt over his head, Lancelot watched shamelessly, his hands resting against his thighs. It was then that Vane suddenly stood up, Lancelot following him with his eyes, quietly enraptured as he watched Vane gather up his katanas and cleaning tools to put them aside. 

“Sorry about that…” Vane said sheepishly, as he returned to his side.

“Don’t be… I like it when you clean,” Lancelot said, pawing at the seat of Vane’s trousers.

“C’mon, Lan-chan,” Vane said, grinning as he caught Lancelot’s hand.

Immediately, Lancelot used the momentum to lift himself up, to crash into Vane and topple him down to the floor instead.

“Lan… chan…?” Vane said, looking up at him in confusion.

“Before I can’t use my mouth for a while, let me do this…” Lancelot whispered, in between his legs.

Lancelot could hear Vane’s whine as he held his hips down, and waited for him as he propped himself up onto his elbows. Once he was comfortable, he mouthed against the bulge at the seat of his trousers, trailing little kisses up its curve as he watched Vane’s face. 

“Vane…” Lancelot whispered, before catching the zip of his fly between his teeth. Reminiscent of Vane’s previous pace, Lancelot pulled against the zip, steadying his breathing as he watched its slow unravelling. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane mumbled, hand cupping against his hold on his hip, and Lancelot felt his lips smile of their own accord.

When he reached the end, he had to cheat of course, hands quickly undoing his belt and tugging his bottoms down to cast them away impatiently, before they resumed their places on his hips as if nothing had happened. With Vane fully naked underneath his fully clothed self, Lancelot placed a small kiss against the tip of his cock and slowly caught his eyes. He tucked his hair behind his ear, a smirk making its way across his face as Vane flattened his palms against the floor. 

A simple lick against the frenulum of his cock was all that was needed for Vane to throw his head back, but Lancelot’s mission was greater than that. Vane was still propped up on his elbows after all, his attempt at continuing to watch Lancelot between his legs. 

“Are you prepared, Vane?” Lancelot said boldly, unable to stop the smile in his voice.

Vane groaned as Lancelot swallowed up the head of his cock into his mouth, “Lan… chan…”

Lancelot never stopped his head moving, even as he pulled Vane closer to him, watching as Vane’s fingers tried to scramble a hold against the floorboards. Alas, he was still propped up and Lancelot needed to work harder. He began to pull out every technique he knew in his quest to get Vane writhing and moaning on the floor; humming and licking and sucking, gleefully watching Vane pant and moan and cry out.

“Lan-chan!” Vane yelled, falling flat against the floor at last, bringing up his arms to rest against his forehead. 

With one last lap of his precum, Lancelot pulled back to lick his lips, and immediately dove back down to kiss Vane’s balls, gently tugging at the skin with his lips. He breathed hard as his hand resumed the work of his mouth, moaning quietly as he listened to Vane desperately pant and chant his name. 

“Slow or fast, Vane?” Lancelot asked, a smile on his lips even as Vane could only answer back with a strained groan.

“Slow…” Vane managed at last, only to immediately moan, “Lan-chan…”

As per his request, Lancelot licked his way up Vane’s shaft to return his mouth near his tip, Vane swallowing hard so he could keep up with his frantic breathing. Lancelot’s lips kissed along the head of his cock, following it round until his tongue could once again taste his precum. He had to remind himself to go slower – teasing, coaxing, edging him along – but as he watched Vane moan and writhe, Lancelot breathed hard at the thought of tasting his climax.

Quietly, he positioned himself more comfortably between Vane’s legs for what he wanted to do next, the bob of his head never stopping. Considering Vane’s girth, easing in the entire length of his cock into his mouth was always a feat, but luckily, Lancelot had more than enough practice with him. He concentrated on every gasp and pant coming out of Vane as he edged his cock further down into his throat, reminding himself to keep a steady breath, telling himself not to rush. His reward was watching as Vane clenched his fists tight to hold himself back, a reminder to himself that he mustn’t thrust into Lancelot’s mouth, even though that was what his body so desperately wanted. Lancelot continued accommodating his length down his throat; until he was finally near his hilt and he slowly pulled back with his lips, easing himself into a rhythm of sucking his entire shaft with the slick of his saliva, the warmth of Lancelot’s entire mouth making Vane whine.

“Lan- Lan… Lan-chan… I’m going… Going to…” Vane said, a pathetic cry as he began to tremble.

Lancelot’s lips immediately retreated back to the head of Vane’s cock, having already decided for his taste to linger with him, licking and sucking faster and faster as he watched him moan and moan and moan; until at last, with one final thrust, Vane came into his mouth. Lancelot stayed still for the entirety of Vane’s climax, letting his seed settle on his tongue, until Vane stopped his spasms and he sighed, utterly exhausted. The yearning in his own groin yet to be met, Lancelot released Vane’s cock from his lips, his mouth full as he crawled over Vane’s body to lean over his face.

“Lan…” Vane breathed, before he was interrupted by Lancelot pushing his lips onto his.

Vane was obedient, opening his mouth without a prompt, allowing Lancelot to push the contents of his mouth into his. Lancelot held his arms as he felt him tremble, his tongue tasting his own semen alongside Lancelot’s kiss. He moaned as Vane accepted all of his own fluids into his mouth, before he pushed it back to him, and Lancelot let himself swallow a bit more before giving it back to Vane. The exchange was even and slow for a moment, but Lancelot grew hungrier and hungrier for more of his taste, every greedy breath making him swallow just a little bit more, his hands weaving through Vane’s hair; until finally, Lancelot had swallowed the rest of Vane’s seed. 

“That was a lot today…” Lancelot said, licking his lips as he pulled back, “I’m not done with you though. Will you be alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be good in a min’,” Vane breathed, grinning, “Takes more than that to wipe me out, Lan-chan!” 

“Shall we test that limit?” Lancelot said, a sly smile on his face as he sat up, still straddled across Vane.

The exertion had made Lancelot sweat, his fringe sticking to his forehead. He parted his lips as he lowered the top of his haori down his shoulders, smiling serenely as Vane watched it hang merely by the still connected himo. He guided Vane’s hands to help him untie them, let him pluck the pom pom away from his chest. The haori hung open and limp at his elbows, revealing the matching kimono he was wearing underneath. His body would remain covered under another layer, but there was something about his formerly pristine ensemble now beginning to unravel that made Vane swallow hard. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane whispered, his eyes on Lancelot.

“Yes, Vane?” Lancelot said softly.

Vane didn’t give an immediate answer back. Lancelot didn’t hide his smile as he watched Vane’s eyes trace all over his body, still hidden away by another layer of fabric. A curious hand lingered in the air, Lancelot pulling it towards him, and letting him slip his fingers through the gaps at the hips of his hakama.

“Hm?” Lancelot said, a song in his voice as he felt Vane’s hand against his bare thigh, “Do you want something?”

“Lan-chan…” Vane whispered, hand smoothing over his buttock, still covered underneath his kimono.

Lancelot let out a soft moan as he felt Vane’s fingers squeeze tight. Obediently, he rolled his ass back against his cock, chuckling as he watched Vane’s expression melt. He had already climaxed once, so Lancelot knew to take it slow until he recovered, his hands against the floor as he leaned over him.

“Lan-chan…” Vane breathed, more desperate now, a hunger in his eyes as he squeezed tighter and tighter until Lancelot felt his nails bite into him. 

Lancelot tucked his hair behind his ear, his sleeve falling back to reveal his forearm, “Vane…” He repeated, in his exact intonation, “What do you want to do?”

Lancelot only giggled as Vane’s hand crept further in, smiling sweetly as Vane’s eyes widened in confusion when he couldn’t breach the cleave of his ass. 

“Huh? Lan-chan, what underwear is this?” Vane asked, certainly knowledgable in Lancelot’s usual underwear, because he was the one who did the laundry. 

“It’s…” Lancelot bit his lip and stopped himself, “…a surprise for later.”

“Huh…” Vane said slowly, staring up at him like he’d reveal his secret now.

“Are you interested?” Lancelot said.

Vane furrowed his brow as he plucked at the cloth between Lancelot’s buttocks, “Is it a…?”

“You’ll have to see, won’t you?” Lancelot said cheerfully, only adding to the mystery. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane whined, but Lancelot only pushed a finger against his lips. 

“Only one thing to do, Vane…” Lancelot whispered, leaning in as he cradled his head close. 

He breathed hard as he pushed back against Vane’s cock again, to start up a rhythm of rolling his hips, massaging the head of his cock with his ass. 

“Please, Vane…” Lancelot whined, feeling their panting breaths merge, the sensation of his own cock rubbing against Vane driving him wild. 

“Lan… chan…” Vane gasped, holding on tighter to Lancelot’s ass as he tried to keep up.

“Vane…” Lancelot repeated, desperate and needy, pace quickening in his hunger.

Lancelot gasped sharply as Vane began to thrust, meeting the grinding of his hips as he stared into his eyes. He panted and moaned loud, the fact that they were still separated by centimetres of silk meaning nothing to him, when all Lancelot could think of was that it was Vane’s cock so near to his ass. Lancelot could feel the strain of his own erection against his hakama, the leak of his precum staining it wet, but he was far too preoccupied to care in the slightest. 

“Oh, Vane, Vane…” Lancelot panted, swallowing hard just so he could talk. He was losing his mind already, and he had yet to even disrobe, but Vane was so close, Vane was so close.

All of a sudden, Vane stopped and Lancelot whined, “Lan-chan, you look so good…” Vane breathed, chest heaving, “I want to… I need to…”

With nothing but a smile on his face, Lancelot sat up, to stare down at him as he pulled the front himo of his hakama loose. 

“Do whatever you wish, Vane…” Lancelot whispered, guiding Vane’s hands to his hips, “I’m yours.”

Lancelot giggled brightly as he was thrown to the floor, watching in delight as Vane leant over him; only to pout as he abruptly stood up. He followed him with his eyes, rolling over to continue to watch his form, Lancelot shamelessly watching Vane’s bare bottom as he rummaged through his trouser pocket. Vane grinned as he held a bottle of lube aloft, but Lancelot only impatiently gestured for him to hurry back.

“Sorry for leaving you again,” Vane said, sheepish as he returned.

“As long as you come back,” Lancelot answered back immediately.

“You know I always do,” Vane said, cradling his face to kiss him on his forehead. 

Lancelot smiled, warm in his hands, “Yeah.”

For a moment, all Vane did was stare in absolute wonder, “Lan-chan…” Vane said breathlessly, before burying his face against his neck, “You’re so pretty like this…”

“Vane, please!” Lancelot said, laughing as his hair tickled his chin; before he lowered his voice, “You look good too.”

He could feel Vane shiver as he traced a hand down his biceps, his forearm, to settle against his thigh. Vane’s naked skin in contrast to his own clothed body, still hidden away beneath layers upon layers, made him smile as he watched the trail of his hand. Just as he promptly groped Vane’s erection and earned himself a quick gasp, Vane grabbed hold of his wrist.

“Wait, Lan-chan…” Vane said quickly, “You wanted me to cover your mouth, right?”

“Ah. Right,” Lancelot said, as if he hadn’t forgotten his own flimsy excuse, “…You can use my scarf…”

Being the one with his back on the floor, it was certainly hard to provide him with the trapped garment; but Vane was there to help him, no matter his struggle. It had already fallen off long ago, draped loosely around his arms in the aftermath, and now he offered it up to Vane.

“Lan-chan, since you won’t be able to talk…” Vane said, his eyes on Lancelot before he moved an inch, “You remember what to do if you wanna stop?”

Lancelot smiled, warmth flooding over him, “Yeah.”

“Right, okay… Lemme…” Vane said, catching hold of his scarf and leaning in, only to take the chance to kiss him once more.

It was certainly a pleasant surprise: the suddenness of his kiss causing Lancelot to widen his eyes, noticing every small detail upon Vane’s face up close like this, and making himself melt in his proximity. He could feel Vane become bolder, his tongue parting his lips, moaning into his mouth as Vane took hold of his arms. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane mumbled, pausing for a moment only to speak, “I can’t stop thinking about how pretty you are.”

“Vane, please…” Lancelot said, feeling his cheeks flush. He breathed hard as Vane answered him with a kiss.

“It’s not flattery, Lan-chan…” Vane whispered when he had to break apart to breathe, “Everything’s true.”

“I know that!” Lancelot gasped, before another of Vane’s kisses, “I know that about you! That’s why…”

Lancelot could feel Vane’s fingers run through his hair as his kisses continued, and he whined into his mouth as Vane straddled atop him, rolled his hips as he clung to his back; and Vane only continued to deepen their kiss. It was the closeness of his touch, the safety of his arms, that made Lancelot pant and moan and yearn for more. Pulling back, only to see all the adoration and gentleness within his green eyes, made Lancelot lean up to meet his lips, not caring if he hadn’t refilled his lungs, when all he needed was Vane.

“Vane…” Lancelot whined, one final tug of Vane’s bottom lip between his teeth, “I don’t want to stop. Please…”

“I wanna make you feel good too…” Vane whispered, his hand cupping against Lancelot’s erection, his thumb rubbing at his head, already soaking through his hakama. 

“Vane, please, please, please,” Lancelot panted, already teetering on the edge even when he was still fully clothed.

“Lan-chan… is so beautiful…” Vane mumbled, his free hand tucking Lancelot’s hair behind his ear, his hand on Lancelot’s cock never stopping.

“Vane,” Lancelot whispered urgently, before a quick gasp as his hips bucked against Vane’s hand, “I need you.”

Lancelot felt the rise and fall of Vane’s chest as he took a deep breath; swallowing hard as part of his senses came back when Vane tightly took hold of his arms.

“Are you sure?” Vane said softly, staring right into his eyes. 

Lancelot chewed his lip, before finally giving him a nod, “As much as I just want to kiss you… Yes. Please…”

Vane picked up the discarded scarf, Lancelot knowing by the look in his eyes he wanted to grant his previous request; but instead he followed through with the latter, wrapping the scarf over his mouth and tying it at the back of his head, making extra sure he wasn’t trapping any hair in the process. He had forgotten his original flimsy attempt at an excuse to prompt this suggestion, but it was the gentle look that Vane gave him that made Lancelot yearn for him to continue. 

Instead, Vane kissed him, slow and quiet, lips against the scarf. Lancelot followed his movement, leaning up to meet him in the middle; before he tugged on his scarf when he could take no more, so their lips could be connected.

“That’s cheating, Lan-chan…” Vane said, grinning as he pulled back.

“I know…” Lancelot said, the shame burning on his face, “Tie me up too please?”

“Are you sure?” Vane repeated, ever so gentle.

“Yes. If it’s you, I feel safe,” Lancelot replied, not a single sliver of hesitation in his voice.

“Lan-chan…” Vane said softly, “If it’s too much for you, I’ll stop right away.”

“I know you will,” Lancelot said, looping his arms round him to hug him close.

Hopefully for the final time that night, Vane left his side to retrieve something from his clothes. He came back with his belt, merely holding it casually in his hands, but Lancelot whined loudly as he dragged himself up, impatiently tugging Vane back down to the floor with him.

“I love you,” Lancelot whispered, causing Vane to pause before he placed the scarf back over his mouth.

“Lan-chan…” Vane whispered back.

Vane leaned in, Lancelot closing his eyes as he felt Vane’s breath against his lips, barely centimetres away; but instead, he felt a sharp bite against his neck, the scarf pulled taut against his mouth. Lancelot moaned against the fabric as Vane tied it tight, throwing his head further back as he felt Vane tear open the collar of his kimono once he was done.

Even as he was pushed back down to the floor, he felt Vane’s hand cradle the back of his head to prevent him from hurting himself, and moaned gently as he watched Vane lean over him, concern all over his face.

“Lan-chan…” Vane said quietly, “That okay?”

Lancelot gave a small nod, breathing hard as he felt Vane lift his arms up above his head and tie his wrists together with his belt. He tested his bonds with a little tug; Vane brushing his fingers against his, and Lancelot grasping hold of him in response. He could feel the air against his exposed forearms, shivered as Vane snaked his hands down his revealed skin.

“Okay…” Vane said, more to himself than to Lancelot, if his reddened face was anything to go by. He breathed in deep, calming himself down; and Lancelot took a moment to lift his foot, still in his tabi, and nudged his arm, “I’m okay, Lan-chan! You’re just… um… I keep saying it, but you really are so beautiful.”

He grabbed hold of Lancelot’s foot to rest it back onto the floor, his hand trailing up his ankle, past his calf, and into the wide trouser leg of his hakama, his thumb catching the fabric back until it pooled near his hips, his leg exposed. Lancelot moaned against his scarf as he felt Vane’s mouth upon his inner thigh, his head rolling back as Vane began to suck and kiss and lick. 

He could feel himself tremble as Vane parted his legs, having waited so long to finally be near release making him shamefully impatient. Lancelot had already untied the front half of his hakama, and all Vane had to do was peel down the front plate of his hakama like a present, and he did so with an achingly long slowness.

“Oh.”

The brief silence made Lancelot wait with bated breath on what his reaction would be, until Vane exclaimed in absolute surprise, “Lan-chan’s fundoshi debut!”

He had thought it’d be tantalising to wear underwear like this, he had thought of Vane’s face and the way he looked when he gave in to his lust; but he definitely hadn’t thought he’d be reduced to tears, laughing until his chest heaved. The scarf compressed his rapid breaths against himself, but hearing himself muffled only made him laugh harder, so that he barely even heard the usually loud Vane laughing along with him; until his forehead was against his, and Lancelot was suddenly aware he was holding him still as his giggles took over.

His barks of laughter melted away into sighs as Vane began to roll his hips against him, coaxing him into moans as laughter shone in his cheeks. It was just like Vane to make him laugh until he cried, and then immediately be able to segue straight into desire.

“You really do look good in it…” Vane said softly, nothing but fondness on his face, “What about the back?”

Lancelot let himself be rolled over, his body as malleable as butter in Vane’s hands. The himo at the back were still tied there however, Vane whining as he tried to be fast in undoing them. Lancelot would gladly have helped, but unfortunately his hands were tied. 

He felt there was a moment of struggling as Lancelot lay still, his mind idly thinking about the man currently having trouble undressing him; when he was brought back to his senses with Vane’s loud shout. 

“Woah!” 

Lancelot moaned into the floor as he felt Vane grope and inspect him with his hands, whining as he pulled weakly against the bonds at his wrists.

“How do I…” He heard Vane mumble, “Oh.”

At last, there was relief when the fundoshi, soaked with his precum, was pulled away from his groin; until he moaned loudly as Vane parted his buttocks to kiss him. He screamed against his scarf, Vane’s touch making him weak, panting hard as he felt Vane begin to taste him. He had certainly washed before he had dressed up for Vane, but he full well knew how much he had begun to sweat after teasing him in so many layers of clothing; and yet here was Vane, kissing and licking and moaning into his ass. 

Just when Lancelot thought he could take no more from his tongue, Vane’s mouth began a trail of kisses, a light bite against his buttocks before rolling him onto his back again, parting his legs to taste the skin hidden away there.

“I love you,” With every kiss was his affirmation, Lancelot struggling against his gag to say something, his chest heaving with the effort, “I love you. I love you.”

Lancelot could feel himself sweating as he struggled against both of his bonds; a partial sense of relief as Vane continued his trail of kisses past his open hakama, and needed to untie his obi like a ribbon, to pull back the folds of his kimono, to let his bare skin finally breathe. His relief was over in an instant as Vane continued with his chant of affection after every kiss, his mouth climbing the swath of skin of his chest, Lancelot screaming against his scarf as Vane sucked against his nipple.

His cock was aching for release and had been utterly ignored up to this point; Vane taking his time to be tender only driving him wild, and yet he could do nothing tied up like this. When Vane finally made his way to the crux of his neck, Lancelot was thrashing; the weight, the heat, the scent of Vane’s body making him unbearably hot. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane cooed when he could finally gaze into his eyes, a smile on his face like he didn’t know what he was doing to him.

Lancelot groaned as Vane planted a sweet kiss to his forehead, and thought it’d be a good idea to buck his hips against him to signal his need. Vane only continued what he was doing without a care in the world, a kiss against both of his cheeks before he trailed back down to his neck, his chest; his fingers opening up his kimono just a little bit more on this trip down. At last, as Vane did his final kiss just above Lancelot’s stomach, he heard his voice somewhere between his legs.

“Okay, Lan-chan… Are you ready?” Vane said softly. 

He knew that he’d be later embarrassed about the desperateness at which he nodded; but all he cared about right now was wanting Vane’s cock finally, finally inside of him. He began to curl his toes, still within their tabi, just to have something to concentrate on that wasn’t his cock; the sound of him applying lube only making him clench his fists, until his nails bit into him, to make sure he didn’t release right on the spot. Even the way Vane slid himself in made Lancelot impatient, counting the inches, Lancelot only wanting and needing, throwing his head back as he felt Vane’s length fully inside of him. Vane began to move, and Lancelot began to heave and pant, his hips rolling to meet Vane’s thrusts, his hands tugging and pulling against the belt around his wrists.

His haori, his kimono, his hakama lay dishevelled around his body, a pool of silk framing mere glimpses of his skin in contrast to Vane’s naked body against him. It was an odd sensation to have that barrier between their bare skin: something intimate about their usual encounters plastered together into one, something carnal about not bothering to undress fully before fucking.

“Lan-chan…” Lancelot heard Vane gasp between his thrusting and his panting, “Lan-chan… Sometimes… You’re so pretty… I don’t know… I don’t know what to do… with myself…”

Lancelot moaned against his scarf, his cheeks feeling inflamed by the second, suddenly feeling bashful underneath him as Vane increased his pace. He could hear every time Vane’s body slammed into his, feel the way their bodies were connected by his cock, see the way his skin shone with the sweat of exertion; but he could do nothing with his hands tied like this, say nothing with his mouth gagged like this. For all his praise about himself, Vane was beautiful underneath the lamp light, cheeks flushed, focused on watching Lancelot’s face as he continued to thrust into him, moaning so desperately as he went faster and harder and faster.

All Lancelot could do was chant his name in his muffled moans, his gaze never leaving his face, his arms thrashing in his bonds as he desperately wanted to run his hands through his hair, he wanted to hold him as he moaned, he wanted to taste his every breath, he wanted Vane, he wanted Vane, he wanted Vane.

His eyes on Vane, Lancelot gasped sharply as his hips hitched up, the relief of his climax finally washing over him, his seed splattering against the azure of his haori. Vane collapsed against him as Lancelot felt himself filled, pulling him into a hold where his naked body met mostly material. They lay still for a moment, panting to catch their breaths; until Vane pushed himself up first and helped Lancelot sit. 

First to be removed was the belt on his wrists, Vane gently touching the red marks before easing his hands up his arms to massage his sore muscles, and conveniently grab hold of his scarf at his mouth. The moment Vane lowered his gag, Lancelot dove forward to push his lips onto his, Vane catching him in his arms in time for Lancelot to greedily part open his mouth. They said nothing as they finally kissed, focused as they were on breathing and tasting each other after that small, brief abstinence. Only when their bodies needed to rest did they part, Lancelot boneless in Vane’s arms. 

“Vane…” Lancelot mumbled against his skin, letting his mind go numb in his afterglow. 

“You okay?” Vane asked softly, his broad hand sweeping up and down his back.

Immediately, Lancelot squeezed Vane tight, “I never know how this is possible, but with everything you do, somehow I fall more in love with you.”

Lancelot could feel Vane jump, just before he leaned his head against Lancelot’s, “L-Lan-chan…”

“I love you… I love you…” Lancelot whispered in a desperate fervour, unable to speak as fast as he was thinking these same words.

As Lancelot continued to chant, Vane stood up, picking up Lancelot in all his dishevelled robes, carrying him in his arms as Lancelot clung desperately onto him, all the way back to their room.


	41. Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PWP/Bodyswap, frottage | Lancelot wakes up in Vane's body one morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt from curiouscat!](https://twitter.com/weisseflugel/status/1007607989363249156) Thank you for your prompt ~~even though I interpreted it wrong ajsdkljad~~!!

This was odd.

Lancelot sat up, the covers falling off his shoulders.

This wasn’t the bedroom he had fallen asleep in. He definitely remembered crawling into bed: in the spare room adjacent to his office, sternly reminding himself to finish the paperwork he had to put off because he was beginning to see stars while merely sat down. 

Lancelot made to rub his eye, but immediately froze when he realised none of his hair was falling into his face like usual. His heart lurching, he frantically ran his hands over the top of his head, only to feel that it was definitely shorter. 

In one giant leap, Lancelot was out of bed, hurling the covers over and scrambling to the bathroom. 

He wasn’t even a step inside the bathroom before a gasp – in _his_ voice – startled him to his core.

“Vane?!” Lancelot spluttered at the mirror, and immediately he ran back out, thundering down the corridor into every room, “Vane?!”

Alas, he was nowhere to be seen.

That was probably because – as Lancelot held up a shaky hand in front of his face – _he_ was now Vane. 

It must be a dream. 

Lancelot pinched his cheek and flinched at the pain. 

It wasn’t a dream.

First port of call: he yanked open the waistband of his pyjama bottoms. Slowly, he sucked in his breath, as he took in the sight of Vane’s cock at an angle he had never seen before. It made for a nice change of pace, because whenever Lancelot got to see Vane’s cock, it usually wasn’t flaccid for very long, something he was very proud of in fact – but Lancelot had more important matters to attend to. 

He ran his hands down his chest, down his thighs and calves, all the way back up to feel his arms, as excitement ran through him like electricity and the grin on his face grew giddy. 

He was bigger now. He was stronger – well, no, muscle size didn’t exactly equal strength, just meant certain body types were different, because he could absolutely do everything Vane could do in terms of bodyweight exercises, because they often trained together and he would always be able to keep up – it was just that Vane’s body was able to attain a certain larger muscle mass. It had absolutely nothing to do with relative strength per se. Lancelot nodded as he told himself all this.

But just in case: Lancelot darted off to their spare room, which they had made into a gym, and a rack of weights lay waiting in the corner of the room. They usually trained back at the knights’ barracks, but considering both of them enjoyed training whenever they could and Lancelot never slacked, they had the appropriate equipment back home for whenever they felt like it. 

It was with this train of thought that made Lancelot stay in the gym for the next few hours, all thoughts of trying to find Vane gone, now that he had to test every limit of Vane’s body. He’d find him eventually, or Vane would find him, but he needed to satisfy his burning curiosity this very instant. 

“Vane… Your body’s so good…” Lancelot moaned, catatonic in his state of euphoria. 

His eyes snapped open. 

It was already growing late in the day, and he had the niggling feeling he was forgetting something important while he lay spread eagle on the floor in a pool of his own sweat. 

Groaning as he pulled his aching body upright to sit, Lancelot breathed out slowly as he pulled down the waistband of his bottoms. The sound of Vane’s panting, the exhaustion in his bones all combined to make him well on his way to arousal. He could feel sweat trickle down his chin as he bit into his lip and palmed his erection, his reward for a good workout in Vane’s body. 

“Vane…” Lancelot moaned, soft and quiet, “Vane…”

Alas, he stopped, pausing to consider how odd it was to call out Vane’s name in Vane’s own voice. Breathing hard, he embarked on another course of action.

“Lan…” Lancelot stopped himself before he ended that syllable with another, “…Lancelot…”

“Lan-chan!” 

A figure burst into the room, the door slamming open with a bang, because the universe forbade Vane from ever saying Lancelot’s full name, unless he was under very grave circumstances. Lancelot jerked his head up, horrified as he held Vane’s cock in his own hand, only to be met with his actual body – but there was only one person he knew that called him by that name. 

“Oh… Sorry…” Vane said limply, as he closed the door shut again. Lancelot was frozen in place, unable to move an inch even when Vane swung the door open again with a realisation, “Hey, wait! Lan-chan, is that you?”

“V-Vane?” Lancelot whimpered back, his hands still wrapped around his cock.

“Yeah! But I look like you right now? And…” Vane’s eyes drifted down before he could stop himself. A tense pause passed as Lancelot watched him stare at himself, “Is that… Are you…”

Lancelot was sat down, shirt up, pants off, hands touching himself. There was no other way to interpret this. 

“What are you doing?” Vane asked. 

“I’m… just…” Lancelot slowly lowered his hands, and pulled his legs up to his chest. After Vane waited patiently for an answer but he could provide him with none, he cleared his throat, “Come closer.”

Vane obeyed, as he always did, and Lancelot laughed as he pulled down Vane with him. It was wonderful to hear his laugh as Vane’s, the sound of it chaining another out of his voice, until he was a pile of giggles holding Vane to his chest. 

“Woah, hey! Lan-chan?” Vane said quietly. 

“This… This is so odd…” Lancelot wheezed, under his breath, tears at the corners of his eyes from laughing.

“Yeah…” Vane said softly, wrapping his arms around him tight, “What’ve you been doing? You’re all sweaty…” 

Lancelot smiled back, “I could say the same to you. This is rather late to make an entrance…”

“Um, well…”

“Vane…” Lancelot leaned forward, planting his forehead to his, seeing blue eyes instead of green, “What have you done in my body?”

“I just…” 

Lancelot crept closer, “Please demonstrate.”

“Nothing! I did nothing!” Vane spluttered, shooting upright, hand rubbing the back of his neck as he continued, “I was gonna come straight over, but I… I-just-wanted-to-try-some-things.”

“I want to try some things with you too…” Lancelot whispered, leaning in, shamelessly straddling Vane’s lap.

“Lan-chan, my legs, my legs!” Vane yelped, his face scrunching in a comically strange way for it being Lancelot’s face.

“Oh! Sorry, usually I’m smaller…” Lancelot stammered back, shuffling himself off, face flushing, before he realised he had admitted something, “I mean!”

Vane laughed, his usual hearty laughter in Lancelot’s voice, before beckoning him over, “I usually lean forward a bit so I don’t put all my weight on you if I get on top.” 

“Like this?” Lancelot said curiously, following his instructions.

“Yeah!” Vane chirped, hands holding Lancelot’s hips as he leaned back.

There was a quiet moment as they adjusted their bodies, mumbles and hands on each other to help each other adjust, only slowly realising what kind of position they were in when they turned to look into each other’s faces.

“I’m on top,” Lancelot said slowly.

“…Yeah?” Vane said.

“I’m also half naked.”

“…Yeah?”

“What are we doing?”

“Having fun?” Vane offered cheerfully.

Lancelot pushed Vane to the floor, “We can have even more fun.”

“Lan-chan, that’s a really embarrassing face you’re making!” Vane spluttered, his face – Lancelot’s face – rapidly blooming into red.

“You’re right,” Lancelot said, immediately sitting up, “I feel slightly… narcissistic…”

“You’re always like this, Lan-chan… So humble,” Vane chirped, following him up.

They sat there for a moment, quiet in contemplation, Vane in Lancelot’s body, Lancelot in Vane’s body – half naked from the bottom down. 

“So, what did you do?” Lancelot asked, perking up.

“Oh. Just. Y’know. Some things,” Vane said, entirely unconvincingly. 

“Some things?” Lancelot repeated, idly knocking his hand against his. 

“Just… things,” Vane continued weakly. 

“I’m curious,” Lancelot said, turning to him, grin wide on his face.

“Things!” Vane repeated, his face flushing red.

“ _What_ things?” Lancelot insisted. 

“Things!” Vane repeated again, finally whipping his head round to look at him.

He had to breathe hard when he realised Lancelot was only inches away, who used the opportunity to lean in to kiss him. Lancelot was slow and gentle, hands reaching up to cradle his face, fingers weaving through his hair, leaning forward with his weight to push him back down onto the floor.

“Even if it’s narcissistic to do this, I can’t stop my attraction to you, Vane,” Lancelot said softly, hand petting Vane’s – his own – hair.

“Lan-chan… Using my voice to say these kinds of things…” Vane muttered, overtly avoiding his strong gaze, because it was exactly – literally – like looking at himself.

Lancelot lifted his head then, a grin slowly forming as he watched dread set into his own face. 

“Vane is the kindest, sweetest person that Lan-chan knows,” Lancelot said, fondness laced through every syllable.

“Lan-chan… Lancelot… Please…” Vane mumbled into his hands.

“And Lan-chan loves him very much,” Lancelot said, nuzzling his face against his hand barrier.

“Lan-chan!” Vane spluttered, now clapping his hands to his ears, his face bright red underneath his former barrier.

As the Captain of the Order of the White Dragons, it was his duty to utilise every opportunity to attack, Lancelot darting forward immediately to capture Vane’s lips, tongue parting his mouth open. 

“Lan-chan…” Vane gasped. 

“Does it feel good in my body?” Lancelot asked, in between kisses to his cheek, his chin, his neck. 

“Yeah…” Vane breathed, hips rolling against Lancelot’s kisses, “Lan-chan…”

“I’m sensitive here…” Lancelot whispered, a prompt moan for his efforts so that he had to raise his voice slightly over the din, “But you knew that already, right?”

Hearing his own voice and kissing his own body was always going to be strange to him, but with every kiss and every subsequent reaction, he knew it was Vane who was underneath that face. It was not like he had never heard himself moan out in pleasure – he wasn’t sworn off from masturbation or from Vane being on top, after all – but Vane was definitely the louder one of the two. Lancelot would usually gasp or breathe very heavily, much more subdued reactions akin to his own personality, but Vane was still reacting like it was his own body he was in, mouth ripping open into loud moans, face flushing as red as a beet. 

“If I just imagine it’s you…” Lancelot said softly, just under Vane’s loud panting, “I think I can do anything.” 

With a heavy sigh, he tugged Vane’s trousers down, freeing his erection from his underwear to press against his. Vane moaned heavily, Lancelot guiding his hand to his as he held their girths together, sucking his neck as he leaned over him with his free arm. 

“Vane, Vane…” Lancelot mumbled into his skin, his eyes closed as he listened to Vane pant.

“Lan-chan, Lan-chan, I love you too,” Vane gasped, moving to Lancelot’s pace, his mind an utter mess.

“I know,” Lancelot whispered, his free hand finding Vane’s and threading through his fingers.

They came together, Vane screaming hard, Lancelot moaning loud to hear Vane’s voice, to finally settle against each other, minds finally clearing. Even though it was tempting to drift off to sleep as they usually did, they still weren’t quite sure as to the cause of this entire situation, and they kept themselves awake in each other’s arms, avidly watching one another’s faces.

“In the end…” Vane mumbled.

“We did it…” Lancelot finished for him.

“When do you think we’ll turn back?” Vane asked. 

“I’m not quite sure…” Lancelot said softly. 

“Anything you want to do?” Vane said curiously.

“I have an idea,” Lancelot said, giving him a bright smile.

And thus, they ended this very strange day by sparring one another in each other’s bodies. They changed back eventually. It turned out to be a primal beast’s effect, because there always seemed to be a primal beast for everything in this world.

* * *

Bonus:

_What did Vane actually do?_

“You cleaned my office,” Lancelot said, once they had returned to where Vane had woken up in Lancelot’s body, “Is that what ‘things’ was?”

“M-Maybe,” Vane muttered, face entirely encompassed by red.

“Thank you, Vane,” Lancelot said softly, draping himself over Vane and basking in his warmth, “I truly do love you.”

“I wish I didn’t just clean your room first thing in your body, but it was an absolute mess!”


	42. Armour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PWP/Intercrural sex | Turned on, but still on duty.

He really should not be doing this. 

The table flush against his back, his fingers through his hair, his beloved armour a barrier between their bare skin. In the Captain’s tent on the battlefield, his mouth hot against his, there was just the two of them and their heavy, heady breaths.

He really should not be doing this.

“Vane… We have five minutes,” Lancelot whispered, swallowing hard just so he could breathe, “That’s all I should take.”

“Yeah, I’ll be quick,” Vane whispered back.

“Condom. Just for this time. Later… At home… We can…” Lancelot began, a look of guilt on his face, until Vane leaned forward to kiss him silent. There was a moment where Vane lingered inches away from him, his breath hitting his skin, but all it did was make Lancelot whine.

Vane only pulled back with a quiet smile, “Yeah, ‘course, less to clean up, right?” 

As Vane moved to nuzzle against his neck, Lancelot threw his head back, a hand on the table to steady himself, “Vane…” He gasped, other hand clawing at Vane’s back. 

“Just clearin’ your head, Lan-chan,” Vane said, dotting his kisses along his chin, to the rhythm of Lancelot’s quickening breath.

“This is disgraceful of me…” Lancelot muttered. 

“C’mon, Lan-chan, you’re human too…” Vane whispered, offering him a smile.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have such a handsome Vice Captain,” Lancelot said, a smirk sneaking out despite his desperation.

“Lan-chan…” Vane said, pausing as his cheeks reddened.

Lancelot pulled on his ropes, jerking him forward, “Not much time,” Lancelot gasped, before his voice dropped to a soft, needy whisper, “Please, Vane.”

“My liege,” Vane said quietly, the green of his eyes shining an enchanting emerald.

A hint of a smirk barely tugged at Lancelot’s lips before he felt Vane’s hands at his hips, a strong hold turning him round and pulling him in tight. His body wrapped in his, Lancelot whined as he looked back to catch Vane quickly biting off his gloves, the leather at his lips showing a brief hint of his teeth. He reached back to cup his cheek, and despite the cold of his gauntlet, Vane still nuzzled into his palm. 

Lancelot breathed in as Vane smoothed his hands over his rear under the capes at his waist, and had to suppress his sigh as he slipped through their gaps to lift them up at the centre. As Vane tugged down Lancelot’s hosen just before his greaves, Lancelot inched his free hand across the table, fumbling around under the mess, and in one quick movement, he had placed a condom wrapper into Vane’s mouth.

“Thanks,” Vane mumbled, his mouth full.

Without wasting another second, Vane had smoothed his hands down Lancelot’s bare thighs, pulling them apart as Lancelot held down tight against the table, the feel of Vane’s erection against his ass promising him release. The gasp against his ear when Vane’s mouth was free was almost too much, and Lancelot pressed his lips closed before he let anything slip out.

“Can you pass me that bottle too, Lan-chan?” Vane said softly, propping his chin upon Lancelot’s shoulder.

“Oh,” Lancelot said quietly, “Yeah, here.”

Lancelot swallowed hard as he followed Vane’s instruction, even as Vane gave him a chirpy thanks in response. He breathed in as he tried desperately not to listen to Vane behind him, spreading his hold along the table edge as he waited; but alas, when Vane finally slipped his cock between his thighs, Lancelot still let out a sharp gasp.

“Okay… I’m gonna move, Lan-chan,” Vane whispered, a kiss on the end for emphasis. 

Lancelot held back his breath, but only when he finally managed a nod did Vane begin to move. The moan that slipped out of Vane’s mouth made Lancelot gasp again, and he quickly bit his lip to silence himself. The lubrication against his skin was almost too slippery at first, and Lancelot couldn’t help the jolt of his body as Vane’s hands held his legs together. 

“Lan-chan… Lan-chan…” Vane mumbled into his hair, against the rhythm of his thrusts.

As Vane tugged Lancelot’s erection free of his underwear, Lancelot had to clamp his hand over his own mouth, suppressing a shiver as he felt Vane’s thumb graze over the head of his cock. Vane’s soft moans in his ear, coupled with him knowing exactly where to stroke made Lancelot weak at the knees, his arm trembling with how tight he was gripping to the table. Vane was wholly obedient to his word, not wasting a single movement as he quickly coaxed Lancelot on his way. No teasing, no fooling around; just quick, precise strokes as he moaned down his ear.

Lancelot felt himself tremble. He so desperately wanted to call out with him, but he feared who might hear, even in the safety of his own tent. His repressed breath building in his chest, he squeezed his legs tightly together, acutely aware of the shape of Vane’s cock between his thighs, his body as he slammed against him, his hand around his own cock. A droplet of sweat trickled down his cheek, the weight of his armour not helping with how warm he felt.

Lancelot let out a shuddering breath as his hand slipped off his mouth, and he clapped it back onto Vane’s arm behind him.

“Vane…” A single breathless whine slipped out, and Vane squeezed him tight. 

Hearing Vane suppress his orgasm by biting into him, despite his polo neck, made Lancelot shudder in response, a quick gasp as he came right into Vane’s hand. They stayed still for a moment, plastered together, their breaths evening out inside the quiet of the tent, increasingly growing aware of the distant sounds of people outside.

Lancelot turned to watch Vane quickly clean up his own hand, the glimpse of his tongue, the shape of his lips as he licked his own fingers. He wasn’t even looking at him, and yet Lancelot was enticed, wanted nothing more than pull him in close and see how he tasted with his scent.

“Vane…” Lancelot whined.

“Lan-chan, you okay?” Vane said quietly, as he returned to squeeze him tight.

There was a quiet moment where none of them spoke, their eyes merely on each other’s lips, and yet they didn’t move an inch. It was Vane who broke out of the spell first, moving to roll his condom off – and Lancelot caught his hand, freezing him in place. 

“Maybe… A few more minutes…” Lancelot whispered, guiding Vane’s hands to help him peel down his underwear.


End file.
